Case Title: Johnson v. Bobby

Citation: 2004-Ohio-4438

Docket Number: 20040550

State: ohio

Court: Ohio Supreme Court

Date: 2004-09-08T00:00:00Z

Document:
[Cite as Johnson v. Bobby, 103 Ohio St.3d 96, 2004-Ohio-4438.] 
 
 
JOHNSON, APPELLANT, v. BOBBY, WARDEN, APPELLEE. 
[Cite as Johnson v. Bobby, 103 Ohio St.3d 96, 2004-Ohio-4438.] 
Habeas corpus — Claims not cognizable in habeas corpus — Adequate remedy at 
law exists — Petition dismissed. 
(No. 2004-0550—Submitted July 20, 2004—Decided September 8, 2004.) 
APPEAL from the Court of Appeals for Trumbull County, No. 2003-T-0181. 
____________________ 
 
Per Curiam. 
{¶1} 
In January 1999, the Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas 
convicted appellant, Leroy Johnson Jr., of two counts of aggravated murder, one 
count of aggravated burglary, and one firearm specification. The common pleas 
court sentenced Johnson to consecutive life terms in prison without the possibility 
of parole for his aggravated-murder convictions, 10 years in prison for the 
aggravated-burglary conviction, to be served consecutively to the other 
convictions, and three years for the firearm specification.  On appeal, the court of 
appeals affirmed.  State v. Johnson (Nov. 6, 2001), Mahoning App. No. 99 C.A. 
49, 2001 WL 1468865, motion for delayed appeal denied, 96 Ohio St.3d 1486, 
2002-Ohio-4478, 774 N.E.2d 762. 
{¶2} 
On December 15, 2003, Johnson filed a petition in the Court of 
Appeals for Trumbull County for a writ of habeas corpus to compel appellee, 
Trumbull Correctional Institution Warden David Bobby, to terminate Johnson’s 
imprisonment.  Johnson claimed that he was entitled to the writ because of 
sentencing errors, ineffective assistance of counsel, violation of his right to a 
speedy trial, error in overruling his suppression motion, the municipal court’s 
failure to give him a timely preliminary hearing after he was arrested, and the 
unconstitutional denial of his petition for postconviction relief.  Johnson did not 
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO 
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attach any commitment papers to his petition.  Bobby moved to dismiss Johnson’s 
petition. 
{¶3} 
On March 8, 2004, the court of appeals sua sponte dismissed the 
petition. 
{¶4} 
The court of appeals properly dismissed the petition. 
{¶5} 
As the court of appeals held, Johnson’s claims are not cognizable 
in habeas corpus.  See Cammon v. Brigano, 101 Ohio St.3d 133, 2004-Ohio-316, 
802 N.E.2d 656, ¶ 4 (sentencing errors); Davis v. Wilson, 100 Ohio St.3d 269, 
2003-Ohio-5898, 798 N.E.2d 379, ¶ 9 (ineffective assistance of trial counsel); 
Elersic v. Wilson, 101 Ohio St.3d 417, 2004-Ohio-1501, 805 N.E.2d 1127, ¶ 3 
(speedy trial); In re Turpin (1960), 171 Ohio St. 17, 12 O.O.2d 9, 167 N.E.2d 349 
(suppression of evidence); Harris v. Bagley, 97 Ohio St.3d 98, 2002-Ohio-5369, 
776 N.E.2d 490 (defect in municipal court’s assumption of jurisdiction raised 
after conviction and sentence on a subsequent indictment).  Johnson also had an 
adequate remedy by appeal to challenge the claimed denial of his petition for 
postconviction relief. 
{¶6} 
Moreover, Johnson’s petition was fatally defective and subject to 
dismissal because he failed to comply with the commitment-paper requirement of 
R.C. 2725.04(D).  State ex rel. McCuller v. Callahan, 98 Ohio St.3d 307, 2003-
Ohio-858, 784 N.E.2d 108, ¶ 4.  Johnson did not attach any commitment papers to 
his petition. 
{¶7} 
Therefore, because Johnson’s claims are not cognizable in habeas 
corpus and his petition is fatally defective, we affirm the judgment of the court of 
appeals. 
Judgment affirmed. 
 
MOYER, C.J., RESNICK, F.E. SWEENEY, PFEIFER, LUNDBERG STRATTON, 
O’CONNOR and O’DONNELL, JJ., concur. 
__________________ 
January Term, 2004 
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Leroy Johnson Jr., pro se. 
__________________