Title: Pointer v. Russo

State: ohio

Issuer: Ohio Supreme Court

Document:

[Until this opinion appears in the Ohio Official Reports advance sheets, it may be cited as 
Pointer v. Russo, Slip Opinion No. 2015-Ohio-2078.] 
  
 
 
 
 
NOTICE 
This slip opinion is subject to formal revision before it is published in 
an advance sheet of the Ohio Official Reports.  Readers are requested 
to promptly notify the Reporter of Decisions, Supreme Court of Ohio, 
65 South Front Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215, of any typographical or 
other formal errors in the opinion, in order that corrections may be 
made before the opinion is published. 
 
SLIP OPINION NO. 2015-OHIO-2078 
POINTER, APPELLANT, v. RUSSO, JUDGE, APPELLEE. 
[Until this opinion appears in the Ohio Official Reports advance sheets, it 
may be cited as Pointer v. Russo, Slip Opinion No. 2015-Ohio-2078.] 
Habeas corpus—Failure to attach commitment papers—Failure to verify 
petition—R.C. 2725.04—Adequate remedy at law available through 
appeal—Dismissal of petition affirmed. 
(No. 2014-1487—Submitted February 3, 2015—Decided June 3, 2015.) 
APPEAL from the Court of Appeals for Cuyahoga County, No. 101548,  
2014-Ohio-3244. 
_____________________ 
Per Curiam. 
{¶ 1} We affirm the Eighth District Court of Appeals’ dismissal of 
petitioner-appellant Dennis Pointer’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus because 
of the numerous procedural deficiencies in his petition and because he has an 
adequate alternate remedy in the ordinary course of the law. 
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO 
 
2
{¶ 2} Pointer was convicted of various offenses, including murder and 
sexual battery, and is currently serving a sentence of 15 years to life. Pointer filed 
an action in habeas corpus in which he asserts that a sex-offender-classification 
hearing is pending before respondent-appellee, Judge Joseph D. Russo, and that 
the hearing is in violation of his plea agreement.  He seeks an order to compel 
Judge Russo to order his release from prison. 
{¶ 3} Judge Russo filed a motion to dismiss the petition, which the court 
of appeals granted.  Pointer appealed. 
{¶ 4} The court of appeals correctly dismissed the case based on the 
numerous procedural defaults in Pointer’s petition.  Among many other problems 
with the petition, Pointer failed to attach any commitment papers in violation of 
R.C. 2725.04(D).  Such a failure is fatal to a petition for habeas corpus. State ex 
rel. McCuller v. Callahan, 98 Ohio St.3d 307, 2003-Ohio-858, 784 N.E.2d 108,  
¶ 4, citing State ex rel. Johnson v. Ohio Dept. of Rehab. & Corr., 95 Ohio St.3d 
70, 71, 765 N.E.2d 356 (2002), Malone v. Lane, 96 Ohio St.3d 415, 2002-Ohio-
4908, 775 N.E.2d 527, at ¶ 6, and Chari v. Vore, 91 Ohio St.3d 323, 328, 744 
N.E.2d 763 (2001).  Moreover, although not mentioned by the court of appeals, 
the complaint did not comply with the verification requirement of R.C. 2725.04. 
Malone at ¶ 6; Chari at 328. 
{¶ 5} The court of appeals also properly dismissed the complaint because 
Pointer has an adequate alternate remedy at law in that he may appeal any adverse 
ruling resulting from the sexual classification hearing on all the grounds that he 
brings up in his habeas action, including violation of a plea agreement.  Plassman 
v. Ohio Adult Parole Auth., 141 Ohio St.3d 14, 2014-Ohio-4033, 21 N.E.3d 271, 
¶ 4, citing Arnett v. Sheets, 4th Dist. Ross No. 10CA3156, 2010-Ohio-3985, ¶ 7, 
citing State ex rel. Rowe v. McCown, 108 Ohio St.3d 183, 2006-Ohio-548, 842 
N.E.2d 51, at ¶ 5. 
Judgment affirmed. 
January Term, 2015 
 
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O’CONNOR, C.J., and PFEIFER, LANZINGER, KENNEDY, FRENCH, and 
O’NEILL, JJ., concur. 
O’DONNELL, J., concurs in judgment only. 
_____________________ 
 
Dennis Pointer, pro se. 
 
Timothy J. McGinty, Cuyahoga County Prosecuting Attorney, and James 
E. Moss, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, for appellee. 
_____________________