Court Opinion

ID: 9366751
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-01-27 20:06:35.491022+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:15:54.921088
License: Public Domain

[Cite as State v. Boulware, 2023-Ohio-154.]

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

 STATE OF OHIO                                      :
                                                    :
       Appellee                                     :   C.A. No. 2022-CA-38
                                                    :
 v.                                                 :   Trial Court Case No. 21CR0636
                                                    :
 MARCELLAS L. BOULWARE                              :   (Criminal Appeal from Common Pleas
                                                    :   Court)
       Appellant                                    :
                                                    :

                                               ...........

                                               OPINION

                                     Rendered on January 20, 2023

                                               ...........

IAN A. RICHARDSON, Attorney for Appellee

KRISTIN L. ARNOLD, Attorney for Appellant

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

EPLEY, J.

        {¶ 1} Defendant-Appellant Marcellas L. Boulware appeals from his conviction in

the Clark County Court of Common Pleas after he pleaded guilty to a single count of

voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 11 to 16½ years in prison. For the reasons
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that follow, the judgment of the trial court will be affirmed in part and reversed in part, and

the case will be remanded to conduct a new sentencing hearing.

       I.        Facts and Procedural History

       {¶ 2} On August 16, 2021, Boulware shot and killed Cailus Parks, Jr. He was

eventually arrested and charged with two counts of murder, in violation of R.C. 2903.02(A)

and (B), and a single count of felonious assault, a violation of R.C. 2903.11(A)(2). Each

count had an attendant firearm specification. After plea negotiations, Boulware agreed to

plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter (a first-degree felony); in exchange, the State

dismissed the remaining counts and specifications. The parties agreed to a presentence

investigation.

       {¶ 3} Boulware pleaded guilty on February 10, 2022 and was sentenced on March

10, 2022. At the sentencing hearing, the trial court heard statements from Boulware,

counsel for both sides, and several of Parks’ family members. After expressing sympathy

for the families of both Parks and Boulware, the court imposed the maximum sentence

for a first-degree felony – 11 to 16½ years in prison.

       {¶ 4} Boulware appeals, raising several alleged errors with his sentence and

sentencing hearing.

       II.       Sentence and Hearing

       {¶ 5} In his lone assignment of error, Boulware makes multiple claims regarding

the legitimacy of his sentence and sentencing hearing. First, he argues that the trial court

erred by imposing the maximum sentence “by failing to follow the principles and purposes

of felony sentencing and not considering the appropriate mitigating factors.” Appellant’s
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Brief at 9. He then asserts that the trial court failed to inform him of his right to appeal

and, finally, that he was not properly informed about sentencing under the Reagan Tokes

Act.

       Boulware’s sentence

       {¶ 6} A trial court has full discretion to levy any sentence within the authorized

statutory range, and it is not required to make any findings or give its reasons for imposing

a maximum or more than minimum sentence. State v. Jones, 2d Dist. Clark No. 2020-

CA-8, 2021-Ohio-325, ¶ 85. “However, a trial court must consider the statutory criteria

that apply to every felony offense, including those set out in R.C. 2929.11 and R.C.

2929.12.” Id.

       {¶ 7} When reviewing felony sentences, we must apply the standard of review set

forth in R.C. 2953.08(G). Under that statute, an appellate court may increase, reduce, or

modify a sentence, or vacate it all together and remand for resentencing, if it “clearly and

convincingly finds either (1) the record does not support certain specified findings or (2)

that the sentence imposed is contrary to law.” State v. Worthen, 2d Dist. Montgomery No.

29043, 2021-Ohio-2788, ¶ 13.

       {¶ 8} We may not independently “weigh the evidence in the record and substitute

[our] judgment for that of the trial court concerning the sentence that best reflects

compliance with R.C. 2929.11 and 2929.12.” State v. Jones, 163 Ohio St.3d 242, 2020-

Ohio-6729, 169 N.E.3d 649, ¶ 42. The inquiry is simply whether the sentence is contrary

to law. A sentence is contrary to law when it falls outside the statutory range for the

offense or if the sentencing court does not consider R.C. 2929.11 and 2929.12. State v.
                                                                                        -4-

Dorsey, 2d Dist. Montgomery No. 28747, 2021-Ohio-76, ¶ 18.

      {¶ 9} In this case, Boulware’s sentence was within the statutory range for first-

degree felonies, and the court stated that it had considered the principles and purposes

of sentencing under R.C. 2929.11 and then balanced the seriousness and recidivism

factors from R.C. 2929.12. Although the court did not make specific findings regarding all

the factors, the judgment entry confirms that the court did consider them. Boulware’s

sentence was not contrary to law and, to the extent that he claims his sentence was

unsupported by the record, that argument is foreclosed by Jones. As to Boulware’s claim

that his sentence was improper, the assignment of error is overruled.

      Notification of Appellate Rights

      {¶ 10} Boulware also notes that at the disposition, the trial court failed to inform

him of his right to appeal. Crim.R. 32(B)(2) states that, “[a]fter imposing sentence in a

serious offense, the court shall advise the defendant of the defendant’s right, where

applicable, to appeal or to seek leave to appeal the sentence imposed.”

      {¶ 11} There is no evidence in the record that the trial court informed Boulware of

his appellate rights under Crim.R. 32; however, he was not prejudiced by the omission as

he still managed to appeal his case with the assistance of counsel. A trial court’s failure

to advise a defendant of his appellate rights is harmless error where, as here, he files a

notice of appeal with the assistance of appointed counsel. State v. Dews, 2d Dist. Greene

No. 2015-CA-2, 2016-Ohio-4975, ¶ 6; State v. McCrae, 5th Dist. Muskingum No. CT2017-

0008, 2017-Ohio-2968, ¶ 18 (“Any error in failing to inform McCrae of his appellate rights

under Crim.R. 32(B) was harmless because McCrae filed a timely appeal and has not
                                                                                         -5-

shown any prejudice.”).

       {¶ 12} Boulware’s argument that his sentence was improper because he was not

notified of his appellate rights is without merit.

       Reagan Tokes Notifications

       {¶ 13} Finally, Boulware avers that the notifications he was given at his disposition

regarding the Reagan Tokes Act were insufficient. We agree.

       {¶ 14} At the sentencing hearing, the court told Boulware that he would be

“sentenced to an indefinite sentence of 11 to 16 and a half years in prison. There’s a

presumption that you’ll be released after serving 11 years but depending upon your

conduct in the penitentiary you could be incarcerated for the full 16 and a half years.”

Disposition Tr. at 15-16. The court then, in its judgment, gave a much more detailed

explanation of the Reagan Tokes Act and how it applied to Boulware’s sentence. It is not

enough, however, to have a thorough explanation just in the entry.

       {¶ 15} We have previously concluded that a trial court is statutorily mandated at a

sentencing hearing to orally inform the defendant of all the R.C. 2929.19(B)(2)(c)

notifications, including:

       (i) That it is rebuttably presumed that the offender will be released from

       service of the sentence on the expiration of the minimum prison

       term imposed as part of the sentence or on the offender’s presumptive

       earned early release date, as defined in section 2967.271 of the Revised

       Code, whichever is earlier;

       (ii) That the department of rehabilitation and correction may rebut the
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      presumption described in division (B)(2)(c)(i) of this section if, at a hearing

      held under section 2967.271 of the Revised Code, the department makes

      specified determinations regarding the offender's conduct while confined,

      the offender’s rehabilitation, the offender’s threat to society, the offender’s

      restrictive housing, if any, while confined, and the offender’s security

      classification;

      (iii) That if, as described in division (B)(2)(c)(ii) of this section, the department

      at the hearing makes the specified determinations and rebuts the

      presumption, the department may maintain the offender’s incarceration after

      the expiration of that minimum term or after that presumptive earned early

      release date for the length of time the department determines to be

      reasonable, subject to the limitation specified in section 2967.271 of the

      Revised Code;

      (iv) That the department may make the specified determinations and

      maintain the offender’s incarceration under the provisions described in

      divisions (B)(2)(c)(i) and (ii) of this section more than one time, subject to the

      limitation specified in section 2967.271 of the Revised Code;

      (v) That if the offender has not been released prior to the expiration of the

      offender’s maximum prison term imposed as part of the sentence, the

      offender must be released upon the expiration of that term.

R.C. 2929.19(B)(2)(c)(i)-(v); State v. Gatewood, 2d Dist. Clark No. 2021-CA-20, 2022-

Ohio-2513, ¶ 12-13; State v. Massie, 2d Dist. Clark No. 2020-CA-50, 2021-Ohio-3376;
                                                                                           -7-

State v. Thompson, 2d Dist. Clark No. 2020-CA-60, 2021-Ohio-4027. In those cases, we

rejected the argument that an offender is sufficiently notified of all the information in R.C.

2929.19(B)(2)(c) by just including it in the judgment entry. The same goes in this case.

       {¶ 16} There is no question that the trial court informed Boulware of the essence

of the Reagan Tokes Act during the sentencing hearing and gave a detailed explanation

of it in the judgment entry, but according to our precedent, that is insufficient. A defendant

must be given the full explanation at the sentencing hearing and then again in the

judgment entry.

       {¶ 17} The court’s failure to advise Boulware of all the R.C. 2929.19(B)(2)(c)

notifications requires a reversal of the sentence and a remand to the trial court for the

sole purpose of conducting a new sentencing hearing that complies with the statute. As

to Boulware’s claim that his Reagan Tokes notification was insufficient, the assignment

of error is sustained.

       III.   Conclusion

       {¶ 18} While Boulware’s sentence length of 11 to 16½ years was proper, the trial

court failed to adequately inform him about the details of the sentence regarding the

Reagan Tokes Act. Because of that, the judgment of the trial court will be affirmed in part,

reversed in part, and remanded for the sole purpose of resentencing in accordance with

R.C. 2929.19(B)(2)(c).

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

TUCKER, J. and LEWIS, J., concur.