Court Opinion

ID: 9363294
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-01-13 19:06:00.590103+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:15:30.201393
License: Public Domain

[Cite as State v. Blair, 2023-Ohio-88.]

                              IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO
                                 SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT
                                     MONTGOMERY COUNTY

 STATE OF OHIO                                  :
                                                :
          Plaintiff-Appellee                    :   Appellate Case No. 29378
                                                :
 v.                                             :   Trial Court Case No. CRB2101259
                                                :
 WILLIAM L. BLAIR, JR.                          :   (Criminal Appeal from
                                                :   Municipal Court)
          Defendant-Appellant                   :
                                                :

                                           ...........

                                          OPINION

                            Rendered on the 13th day of January, 2023.

                                           ...........

KAREN B. GROSETH, Atty. Reg. No. 0090201, Prosecuting Attorney, Miamisburg
Municipal Court, 130 West Second Street, Suite 1818, Dayton, Ohio 45402
      Attorney for Plaintiff-Appellee

RICHARD L. KAPLAN, Atty. Reg. No. 0029406, P.O. Box 751192, Dayton, Ohio 45475
     Attorney for Defendant-Appellant

                                          .............
                                                                                              -2-

EPLEY, J.

       {¶ 1} Defendant-Appellant William L. Blair, Jr., appeals from his conviction in the

Miamisburg Municipal Court after he was found guilty of obstructing official business,

persistent disorderly conduct, and failure to disclose personal information. For the

reasons that follow, the trial court’s judgment will be affirmed in part and vacated in part.

       I.     Facts and Procedural History

       {¶ 2} In the early morning hours of October 16, 2021, Officer Josh Labensky was

on foot patrol at the Yellow Rose Nightclub, a bar in West Carrollton. He frequently

patrolled there around closing time to ensure that patrons exited the establishment and

departed in a relatively orderly and safe fashion. On that particular night, he was

summoned inside the bar, where he witnessed two males, Bruce Denney (the manager

of the bar) and a man later identified as Blair, struggling on the ground. When Officer

Labensky got to the spot where the men were skirmishing, Denney let Blair up and

released him into Officer Labensky’s custody. Blair was still uncooperative and

aggressive, even with officers, so he was placed in handcuffs and led to a police cruiser

to cool off; Officer Labensky came back inside and investigated what had just transpired.

       {¶ 3} Officer Labensky spoke with Denney, who explained that he had had multiple

run-ins with Blair that night. The first was a simple dress code violation – Blair had a hood

up inside the establishment – and when Denney tried to address it, Blair was “very

militant, very hostile.” Trial Tr. at 80. The situation that led to the altercation between Blair

and Denney started with Denney’s trying to resolve an argument that Blair’s brother was

having with some girls. While Denney was trying to sort things out, Blair inserted himself
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into the situation with an empty glass in his hand that he was “holding kind of like a

baseball.” Blair’s aggressive posture concerned Denney, so he grabbed the glass away

from him. This caused Blair to “square up” with Denney, and the fight ensued.

       {¶ 4} Denney indicated that he did not want criminal charges filed. Officer

Labensky returned to the cruiser to release Blair from custody. As soon as he opened the

cruiser’s door, however, “[Blair] was * * * very aggressive and hostile.” Trial Tr. at 108.

Officer Labensky repeatedly tried to calm Blair down and remove the handcuffs, but

Blair’s aggressiveness was escalating. Blair’s brother and other friends also tried to calm

him down, but he would not listen to them either; instead, he accused the police of

abducting and kidnapping him. Other officers arrived on scene and likewise failed to calm

Blair down. Finally, Sergeant Jeremy Branham determined that “enough was enough,”

and Blair was arrested for persistent disorderly conduct and transported to the West

Carrollton police station for processing.

       {¶ 5} At the police station, Blair continued to demonstrate aggression and non-

compliance. Officers again tried to release Blair from the handcuffs, but he became

unresponsive and threw himself onto the floor, lying in the fetal position; he refused to

answer basic identification questions and continued to accuse the officers of various

crimes. Due to his non-compliance, Blair was dragged out of the processing room and

transported to the Montgomery County Jail.

       {¶ 6} On October 18, 2021, Blair was charged by way of criminal complaint with

obstructing official business, a second-degree misdemeanor; persistent disorderly

conduct, a fourth-degree misdemeanor; and failure to disclose personal information, a
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fourth-degree misdemeanor. The case proceeded to a jury trial on December 15, 2021.

During trial, the State presented testimony from Denney and three West Carrollton police

officers involved in the case. Officer Labensky’s body-camera video as well as video from

the processing room at the West Carrollton police station were also admitted as exhibits.

       {¶ 7} Ultimately, the jury found Blair guilty as charged, and he was sentenced to

90 days in jail with 60 days suspended; he was also given credit for one day served. On

February 1, 2022, Blair filed this appeal, which raises two assignments of error. We will

address the assignments in a manner that facilitates our analysis.

       II.    Sufficiency and Manifest Weight of the Evidence

       {¶ 8} In this appeal, Blair raises two related assignments of error – that his

convictions were against the manifest weight of the evidence and based upon insufficient

evidence. We will consider them together.

       {¶ 9} “[S]ufficiency is a term of art meaning that legal standard which is applied to

determine whether the case may go to the jury or whether the evidence is legally sufficient

to support the jury verdict as a matter of law.” State v. Thompkins, 78 Ohio St.3d 380,

386, N.E.2d 541 (1997). It is essentially a test of adequacy: whether the evidence is

legally sufficient to support a verdict is a question of law. Id.

       {¶ 10} “An appellate court’s function when reviewing the sufficiency of the

evidence to support a criminal conviction is to examine the evidence admitted at trial to

determine whether such evidence, if believed, would convince the average mind of the

defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.” State v. Marshall, 191 Ohio App.3d 444,

2010-Ohio-5160, 946 N.E.2d 762, ¶ 52 (2d Dist.), quoting State v. Jenks, 61 Ohio St.3d
                                                                                          -5-

259, 574 N.E.2d 492 (1991), paragraph two of the syllabus. The relevant inquiry is

whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the State, any rational

trier of fact could have found the crime’s essential elements proven beyond a reasonable

doubt. Id.

       {¶ 11} On the other hand, when an appellate court reviews whether a conviction is

against the manifest weight of the evidence, “[t]he court, reviewing the entire record,

weighs the evidence and all reasonable inferences, considers the credibility of the

witnesses and determines whether in resolving conflicts in the evidence, the jury clearly

lost its way and created such a manifest miscarriage of justice that the conviction must

be reversed and a new trial ordered.” State v. Thompkins, 78 Ohio St.3d 380, 387, 678

N.E.2d 541 (1997), quoting State v. Martin, 20 Ohio App.3d 172, 175 (1st Dist.1983). A

case should not be reversed as being against the manifest weight of the evidence except

“‘in the exceptional case in which the evidence weighs heavily against the

conviction.’” (Emphasis added.) Id.

       {¶ 12} “Although sufficiency and manifest weight are different legal concepts,

manifest weight may subsume sufficiency in conducting the analysis; that is, a finding that

a conviction is supported by the manifest weight of the evidence necessarily includes a

finding of sufficiency.” (Citations omitted.) State v. McCrary, 10th Dist. Franklin No. 10AP-

881, 2011-Ohio-3161, ¶ 11. Accord State v. Winbush, 2017-Ohio-696, 85 N.E.3d 501,

¶ 58 (2d Dist.). As a result, a determination that a conviction is supported by the weight

of the evidence will also be dispositive of sufficiency. State v. Farra, 2d Dist. Montgomery

No. 28950, 2022-Ohio-1421, ¶ 50.
                                                                                           -6-

       Persistent Disorderly Conduct

       {¶ 13} According to R.C. 2917.11(A)(1), a person shall not recklessly cause

inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm to another by engaging in fighting, threatening to

harm persons or property, or in violent/turbulent behavior. “Turbulent behavior” is

“tumultuous behavior” or “unruly conduct” characterized by a violent disturbance or

commotion. State v. Street, 2d Dist. Montgomery No. 26501, 2015-Ohio-2789, ¶ 25.

       {¶ 14} Typically, disorderly conduct is a minor misdemeanor, however, if the

offender persists in the conduct after a reasonable warning or request, the offense

becomes a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. R.C. 2917.11(E)(3)(a).

       {¶ 15} In this case, Blair was guilty of disorderly conduct. Officer Labensky testified

that after learning that Denney did not want to pursue charges against Blair, he went back

to his cruiser to release him. However, Labensky was unable to explain the situation to

Blair because “as soon as [he] opened the door, [Blair] was verbal, very aggressive and

hostile toward [him].” Trial Tr. at 108. Officers tried over and over to remove the handcuffs

from Blair’s wrists, but he was so aggressive that they could not. Sergeant Branham

recounted that officers made at least ten attempts to get Blair to calm down so they could

remove the handcuffs, but when he still would not comply, the decision was made to

arrest Blair. The body camera footage affirms this testimony. The video showed Officer

Labensky try to calm Blair down and explain that he was not in trouble and that he was

not going to jail, but Blair continued to be aggressive and non-compliant. At one point,

another officer attempted to remove Blair’s handcuffs, and he physically jerked away. On

multiple occasions Blair even accused the officers of kidnapping and abducting him.
                                                                                               -7-

       {¶ 16} Blair’s repeated refusals to cooperate were an inconvenience to the officers

and constituted “tumultuous behavior” and “unruly conduct” characterized by a violent

disturbance. Blair’s conviction for persistent disorderly conduct was supported by

sufficient evidence and was not against the manifest weight of the evidence.

       Obstructing Official Business

       {¶ 17} According to R.C. 2921.31(A), “[n]o person without privilege to do so and

with purpose to prevent, obstruct, or delay the performance by a public official of any

authorized act within the public official's official capacity, shall do any act that hampers or

impedes a public official in the performance of the public official's lawful duties.” The

offense of obstructing official business, therefore, includes five essential elements: “(1)

an act by the defendant, (2) done with the purpose to prevent, obstruct, or delay a public

official, (3) that actually hampers or impedes a public official, (4) while the official is acting

in the performance of a lawful duty, and (5) the defendant so acts without privilege.”

(Citations omitted.) State v. Body, 2018-Ohio-3395, 117 N.E.3d 1024, ¶ 20 (2d Dist.),

citing State v. Kates, 2006-Ohio-6779, 865 N.E.2d 66, ¶ 21 (10th Dist.).

       {¶ 18} Further, to violate the statute, a defendant must engage in an affirmative or

overt act that impedes a public official in the performance of his or her duties. State v.

Prestel, 2d Dist. Montgomery No. 20822, 2005-Ohio-5236, ¶ 16. A single refusal to

respond to an officer’s request does not constitute obstructing official business, but

continued uncooperative behavior can amount to a violation. See State v. Crawford, 2d

Dist. Montgomery No. 25506, 2013-Ohio-4398, ¶ 17; Street, 2d Dist. Montgomery, No.

26501, 2015-Ohio-2789, at ¶ 23.
                                                                                        -8-

      {¶ 19} Here, Blair repeatedly refused to cooperate with officers. Blair walked under

his own power into the police station, but as soon as he got to the processing room and

his handcuffs were removed, he collapsed on the floor in the fetal position and refused to

respond to basic booking questions or sit in the chair as requested. Blair’s behavior made

any attempt at processing him impossible and forced the officers to physically carry him

to their police cruiser and then transport him to the Montgomery County Jail, where there

would be more assistance.

      {¶ 20} Blair’s conviction for obstructing official business was supported by

sufficient evidence and was not against the manifest weight of the evidence.

      Failure to Disclose Personal Information

      {¶ 21} Pursuant to R.C. 2921.29(A)(1), “[n]o person who is in a public place shall

refuse to disclose the person’s name, address, or date of birth, when requested by a law

enforcement officer who reasonably suspects [that] the person is committing, has

committed, or is about to commit a criminal offense.” This subsection of R.C. 2921.29

applies to questioning in the context of an investigative detention and not to questions

asked during a consensual encounter. State v. Crump, 1st Dist. Hamilton No. C-190636,

2021-Ohio-2574, ¶ 17.

      {¶ 22} The resolution of this argument revolves around the definition of a “public

place.” “Public place” is not defined in R.C. 2921.29, the failure to disclose personal

information law, nor is it explained in R.C. 2901.01, the section of the Revised Code that

gives definitions for words used in our criminal statutes. In fact, our research has only

found “public place” defined once in the entirety of the Ohio Revised Code: in R.C.
                                                                                               -9-

3794.01, the definitional section of Ohio’s public smoking ban. It defines “public place” as

“an enclosed area to which the public is invited or in which the public is permitted and that

is not a private residence.” R.C. 3794.01(B). Black’s Law Dictionary gives us a similar

definition. It states that a “public place” is “any location that the local, state, or national

government maintains for the use of the public, such as a highway, park, or public

building.” Black’s Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019). By synthesizing those definitions, we

can conclude that in this case, a “public place” is a building where the public – ordinary

citizens – are regularly permitted to be.

       {¶ 23} Here, there is little evidence, either from the trial transcript or body camera

videos, that officers asked Blair to identify himself at the Yellow Rose. At the 24:03 minute

mark of the body camera video, Officer Labensky tells another officer “[h]e won’t give me

his name. I don’t have his name,” (see also Trial Tr. at 125) and, while that could imply

that Officer Labensky had asked for Blair’s identification, the body camera video, which

was recording the entire time Officer Labensky and Blair interacted, did not show that

Blair was ever asked to identify himself. In fact, during his trial testimony, Officer Labensky

admitted that he did not ask Blair to identify himself prior to being driven to the police

station. Trial Tr. at 145. The State. in its brief, argues that the “record is clear that officers

asked for Appellant’s information on scene at the Yellow Rose[,]” but that contention is

belied by the record.

       {¶ 24} Officers, though, did ask Blair to identify himself once in the processing

room at the police station. The question before us, therefore, is whether the processing

room inside the police station is a “public place.”
                                                                                         -10-

       {¶ 25} Using the definition that we suggested earlier that a “public place” is

somewhere ordinary citizens are regularly permitted to be, it is evident that part – but not

all – of a police station is a public place. For instance, the lobby or front desk area of a

police station would likely be considered a public place; citizens can come and go freely,

and it is a space maintained for the public. The secure locations inside the police station

– places that ordinary citizens cannot go or can go only when accompanied by authorized

personnel (i.e., police officers) – are not “public places.”

       {¶ 26} In this case, Blair was escorted by Officer Paige Callahan and Officer

Labensky inside a locked back door of the West Carrollton police headquarters and into

a secure room. Once the door they entered through was closed and the officers had

deposited their firearms into a lock box, the trio went through another locked door, down

a secure hallway, and into the processing room. It was in the processing room that,

according to the body camera video, Officer Callahan first asked Blair to identify himself

and he refused.

       {¶ 27} Because Blair was asked and refused to identify himself in a place that was

not public, we conclude that his conviction for failure to disclose personal information was

not supported by sufficient evidence and was against the weight of the evidence.

       III.   Conclusion

       {¶ 28} Because we find that Blair’s convictions for persistent disorderly conduct

and obstructing official business were supported by sufficient evidence and were not

against the manifest weight of the evidence, his assignments of error are overruled as to

those counts. Blair’s conviction for failure to disclose personal information was not
                                                                                          -11-

supported by sufficient evidence and was against the manifest weight of the evidence,

and therefore, the assignments of error are sustained as to that count.

       {¶ 29} Blair’s conviction for failure to disclose personal information will be vacated.

The trial court’s judgment as to persistent disorderly conduct and obstructing official

business will be affirmed.

                                   .............

WELBAUM, J., and LEWIS, J., concur.

Copies sent to:

Karen B. Groseth
Richard L. Kaplan
William H. Wolff, Jr., Visiting Judge