Case Title: State ex rel. Mosley v. Nichols

Citation: 2001-Ohio-8

Docket Number: 20001380

State: ohio

Court: Ohio Supreme Court

Date: 2001-01-03T00:00:00Z

Document:
[Cite as State ex rel. Mosley v. Nichols, 90 Ohio St.3d 517, 2001-Ohio-8.] 
 
 
THE STATE EX REL. MOSLEY, APPELLEE, v. NICHOLS, SHERIFF, APPELLEE; 
BRUMFIELD ET AL., APPELLANTS. 
[Cite as State ex rel. Mosley v. Nichols (2001), 90 Ohio St.3d 517.] 
Habeas corpus sought to compel relator’s release from Ross County Jail — 
Court of appeals’ grant of writ reversed and cause remanded for 
judgment consistent with Woods v. Telb. 
(No. 00-1380 — Submitted November 29, 2000 — Decided January 3, 2001.) 
APPEAL from the Court of Appeals for Ross County, No. 00CA2542. 
__________________ 
 
Per Curiam.  In May 1998, after convicting appellee, Darren W. Mosley, 
of domestic violence, the Ross County Court of Common Pleas held a sentencing 
hearing at which it advised Mosley that postrelease control might be imposed 
following his release from prison and that if it were imposed and he violated a 
postrelease-control condition, he could be subjected to an additional prison term.  
See R.C. 2929.19(B)(3)(d) and (e).  The common pleas court sentenced Mosley to 
a prison term of twelve months for his domestic-violence conviction. 
 
In May 1999, Mosley was released from prison and placed on postrelease 
control.  As Mosley agreed, one of his postrelease-control conditions was that he 
would not purchase, possess, or use any illegal drug.  After Mosley tested positive 
for cocaine on numerous occasions, appellant Ohio Adult Parole Authority 
(“APA”) found Mosley guilty of violating his postrelease control and ordered him 
to serve sixty days in local confinement.  The APA, through its officer, appellant 
Monica Brumfield, issued an order requesting that appellee Ross County Sheriff 
Ronald Nichols hold Mosley in his custody until released by the APA. 
 
In March 2000, Mosley filed a petition in the Court of Appeals for Ross 
County for a writ of habeas corpus to compel Sheriff Nichols to release him from 
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO, January Term, 2001 
2 
the Ross County Jail.  Mosley claimed that the postrelease-control provisions of 
R.C. 2967.28 were unconstitutional because they violated the doctrine of 
separation of powers and deprived him of due process of law. 
 
In July 2000, the court of appeals granted the writ and ordered that Mosley 
be released from custody. 
 
This cause is now before the court upon an appeal as of right. 
 
As appellants correctly assert, the court of appeals erred in holding that the 
postrelease-control provisions of R.C. 2967.28 are unconstitutional.  “R.C. 
2967.28 does not violate the separation of powers doctrine or the Due Process 
Clauses of the United States or Ohio Constitutions.”  Woods v. Telb (2000), 89 
Ohio St.3d 504, 733 N.E.2d 1103, paragraph one of the syllabus.1  Based on 
Woods, we reverse the judgment of the court of appeals and remand the cause for 
a judgment consistent with Woods.  See Price v. Henry (2000), 89 Ohio St.3d 
521, 733 N.E.2d 1116; State v. Jones (2000), 89 Ohio St.3d 519, 733 N.E.2d 
1115. 
Judgment reversed 
and cause remanded. 
 
MOYER, C.J., DOUGLAS, RESNICK, F.E. SWEENEY, PFEIFER, COOK and 
LUNDBERG STRATTON, JJ., concur. 
__________________ 
 
Betty D. Montgomery, Attorney General, and M. Scott Criss, Assistant 
Attorney General, for appellants. 
__________________ 
                                                          
 
1.  We decided Woods shortly after the court of appeals granted the writ in this case.