[Cite as State v. Meeks, 2022-Ohio-2436.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO

SIXTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

OTTAWA COUNTY

State of Ohio Court of Appeals No. OT-22-015

Appellee Trial Court No. 21-CR-I-208A

 

v.

Cainen Michael Meeks DECISION AND JUDGMENT

Appellant Decided: July 15, 2022

* * * * *

James J. VanEerten, Ottawa County Prosecuting Attorney, and

Thomas A. Matuszak, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, for appellee.

Brett A. Klimkowsky, for appellant.

* * * * *

MAYLE, J.

{¶ 1} Appellant, Cainen Meeks, appeals the March 8, 2022 judgment of the 

Ottawa County Court of Common Pleas sentencing him to ten concurrent, indefinite 

prison terms of 8 to 12 years. Because the state concedes error under 6th 

Dist.Loc.App.R. 10(H), and we agree that Meeks’s sentences are clearly and 

convincingly contrary to law, we reverse.
2.

{¶ 2} Meeks pleaded guilty to counts 1 through 10 of a 100-count indictment. The 

charges included four counts of pandering sexually-oriented matter involving a minor in 

violation of R.C. 2907.322(A)(1) and six counts of illegal use of a minor in nudityoriented material in violation of R.C. 2907.323(A)(1), all second-degree felonies. In the 

plea agreement, the state “inadvertently identified” all ten counts as “qualifying offenses 

under the Reagan Tokes Act”—i.e., as offenses that were eligible for indefinite prison 

terms under the Reagan Tokes Law, 2018 Am.Sub.S.B. No. 201, which went into effect 

on March 22, 2019. See R.C. 2901.011 (naming the Reagan Tokes Law and identifying 

March 22, 2019, as its effective date); R.C. 2929.14(A)(1)(a), (2)(a) (ordering that “the 

prison term shall be an indefinite prison term * * *” for any first- or second-degree felony 

“committed on or after the effective date of this amendment * * *”); R.C. 2929.144(A), 

(B) (defining a “‘qualifying felony of the first or second degree’” for purposes of the 

Reagan Tokes Law as any “felony of the first or second degree committed on or after the 

effective date of this section”—March 22, 2019—and describing how a sentencing court 

is required to determine an offender’s maximum prison term).

{¶ 3} The trial court’s judgment entry from the plea hearing indicates that each of 

the charges that Meeks pleaded guilty to is “a qualifying offense under the Reagan Tokes 

Act * * *.” However, the indictment alleges that these crimes occurred “on or about 

November 24, 2018, * * *”—well before the Reagan Tokes Law went into effect.

{¶ 4} The trial court’s sentencing entry reflects that the court’s misperception 

carried through to sentencing. The court specifically noted that “Counts #1 through #10 
3.

of the instance [sic] offense occurred after March 22, 2019, and are therefore subject to 

indefinite sentencing, pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 2929.144.”

{¶ 5} This case in now before us pursuant to a joint notice of conceded error filed 

by the parties under 6th Dist.Loc.App.R. 10(H).

{¶ 6} We review challenges to felony sentencing under R.C. 2953.08(G)(2), which 

allows us to increase, reduce, or modify a sentence, or vacate the sentence and remand 

the case for resentencing, only if we clearly and convincingly find either (1) that the 

record does not support the trial court’s findings under certain statutory sections not 

applicable here, or (2) “the sentence is otherwise contrary to law.” R.C. 

2953.02(G)(2)(a)-(b). We have repeatedly recognized that “[a] sentence is not clearly 

and convincingly contrary to law where the trial court has considered the purposes and 

principles of sentencing under R.C. 2929.11 and the seriousness and recidivism factors 

under R.C. 2929.12, properly applied postrelease control, and imposed a sentence within 

the statutory range.” (Emphasis added.) E.g., State v. Gipson, 6th Dist. Ottawa Nos. 

OT-21-001, OT-21-002, and OT-21-003, 2022-Ohio-2069, ¶ 25, citing State v. 

Tammerine, 6th Dist. Lucas No. L-13-1081, 2014-Ohio-425, ¶ 15-16; and State v. Kalish, 

120 Ohio St.3d 23, 2008-Ohio-4912, 896 N.E.2d 124.

{¶ 7} The Reagan Tokes Law only permits a trial court to impose an indefinite 

sentence for a second-degree felony committed on or after March 22, 2019. R.C.

2929.14(A)(2)(a); R.C. 2929.144(A), (B). Under R.C. 2929.14(A)(2)(b), for any seconddegree felony offense committed “prior to the effective date of this amendment * * *”—
4.

i.e., before March 22, 2019—“the prison term shall be a definite term of two, three, four, 

five, six, seven, or eight years.” (Emphasis added.) The trial court here sentenced Meeks 

to indefinite prison terms for offenses that happened in 2018, before the Reagan Tokes 

Law was enacted. Because these sentences are outside of the statutory range for a 

second-degree felony committed before March 22, 2019, we find that Meeks’s sentences 

are clearly and convincingly contrary to law. State v. Griffin, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga Nos. 

110474, 110475, and 110476, 2021-Ohio-4128, ¶ 12-15 (indefinite sentence for a firstdegree felony committed before March 22, 2019, was clearly and convincingly contrary 

to law because the offense did not meet the definition of a “qualifying” felony under the 

Reagan Tokes Law).

{¶ 8} Accordingly, the March 8, 2022 judgment of the Ottawa County Court of 

Common Pleas is reversed and the case is remanded for resentencing. The state is 

ordered to pay the costs of this appeal pursuant to App.R. 24.

Judgment reversed.

A certified copy of this entry shall constitute the mandate pursuant to App.R. 27. 

See also 6th Dist.Loc.App.R. 4.
5.

State of Ohio v. Meeks

C.A. No. OT-22-015

Mark L. Pietrykowski, J. ____________________________

JUDGE

Christine E. Mayle, J. 

____________________________

Gene A. Zmuda, J. JUDGE

CONCUR. 

____________________________

JUDGE

This decision is subject to further editing by the Supreme Court of

Ohio’s Reporter of Decisions. Parties interested in viewing the final reported

version are advised to visit the Ohio Supreme Court’s web site at:

http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/ROD/docs/.