Title: State ex rel. Nelson v. Griffin

State: ohio

Issuer: Ohio Supreme Court

Document:

[Cite as State ex rel. Nelson v. Griffin, 103 Ohio St.3d 167, 2004-Ohio-4754.] 
 
 
THE STATE EX REL. NELSON, APPELLANT, v. GRIFFIN, JUDGE, APPELLEE. 
[Cite as State ex rel. Nelson v. Griffin 103 Ohio St.3d 167, 2004-Ohio-4754.] 
Mandamus—Prohibition—Writs unavailable to force release from prison—
Adequate remedy at law—Defects in indictment challengeable on appeal. 
(No. 2004-0691 — Submitted August 17, 2004 — Decided September 22, 2004.) 
APPEAL from the Court of Appeals for Cuyahoga County, No. 83998. 
____________________ 
 
Per Curiam. 
{¶1} 
In June 2002, appellee, Judge Burt W. Griffin of the Cuyahoga 
County Court of Common Pleas, sentenced appellant, Shawn Nelson, to an 
aggregate 12-year prison term upon his convictions for aggravated robbery, 
unlawful possession of dangerous ordnance, having a weapon while under 
disability, and certain firearm specifications.  In June 2003, the court of appeals 
reversed Nelson’s conviction for unlawful possession of dangerous ordnance, 
affirmed his conviction for the other offenses, and remanded the cause to Judge 
Griffin for resentencing.  State v. Nelson, Cuyahoga App. No. 81558, 2003-Ohio-
3219, 2003 WL 21419298, appeal not accepted, 100 Ohio St.3d 1485, 2003-Ohio-
5992, 798 N.E.2d 1093. 
{¶2} 
On September 12, 2003, Judge Griffin sentenced Nelson to a total 
prison term of 12 years on his remaining convictions.  On appeal, the court of 
appeals affirmed.  State v. Nelson, Cuyahoga App. No. 83553, 2004-Ohio-2849, 
2004 WL 1232155. 
{¶3} 
On December 29, 2003, while his appeal from the resentencing 
was pending, Nelson filed a complaint in the court of appeals for a writ of 
mandamus or, in the alternative, a writ of prohibition compelling Judge Griffin to 
vacate his convictions and sentence.  Nelson claimed that he had been convicted 
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO 
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and sentenced upon a dismissed indictment.  Judge Griffin moved to dismiss 
Nelson’s complaint. 
{¶4} 
On April 14, 2004, the court of appeals granted Judge Griffin’s 
motion and dismissed the complaint. 
{¶5} 
We affirm the judgment of the court of appeals.  Nelson essentially 
requests release from prison, but habeas corpus, rather than mandamus or 
prohibition, is the proper action to seek this type of relief.  See State ex rel. 
Akbar-El v. Cuyahoga Cty. Court of Common Pleas (2002), 94 Ohio St.3d 210, 
210-211, 761 N.E.2d 624; State ex rel. Key v. Spicer (2001), 91 Ohio St.3d 469, 
470, 746 N.E.2d 1119. 
{¶6} 
Moreover, “extraordinary relief is not available to attack the 
validity or sufficiency of a charging instrument, and [appellant] had an adequate 
remedy in the ordinary course of law by appeal to raise this claim.”  State ex rel. 
Bennett v. White (2001), 93 Ohio St.3d 583, 584, 757 N.E.2d 364.  “The manner 
by which an accused is charged with a crime is procedural rather than 
jurisdictional, and after a conviction for crimes charged in an indictment, the 
judgment binds the defendant for the crime for which he was convicted.”  Orr v. 
Mack (1998), 83 Ohio St.3d 429, 430, 700 N.E.2d 590. 
{¶7} 
Finally, Nelson’s reliance on an unsigned, unauthenticated 
municipal court notation to support his allegation that his indictment was 
dismissed is misplaced because courts speak only through journalized entries.  
See State ex rel. Marshall v. Glavas, 98 Ohio St.3d 297, 2003-Ohio-857, 784 
N.E.2d 97, ¶ 5.  In fact, Nelson’s own filings in the court of appeals establish that 
he was tried, convicted, and sentenced upon an indictment that was never 
dismissed. 
{¶8} 
Based on the foregoing, Nelson filed the wrong action for the 
requested relief, and even assuming that he had sought the appropriate writ, he 
January Term, 2004 
3 
would not have been entitled to it.  Therefore, 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. 
__________________ 
 
Shawn Nelson, pro se. 
 
William D. Mason, Cuyahoga County Prosecuting Attorney, and Amy E. 
Venesile, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, for appellee. 
__________________