State v. Lunsford, 2020 Ohio 965

Defendant Tracy W. Lunsford was charged with one count of misdemeanor assault (R.C. 2903.13(A)) for allegedly striking G.M. in the back of the head on May 1, 2019.
Bench trial held June 25, 2019; witnesses were the victim (G.M.), Officer Moebius, and Lunsford.
G.M. testified Lunsford, while agitated and saying he had not taken medication, cursed her, punched her once in the back of the head as she left, followed her outside, threw a rock at her daughter’s car, and made threats. She reported the incident and gave a written statement.
Lunsford denied touching G.M., said she was belligerent, and claimed the encounter lasted only seconds as he told her to leave.
The trial court credited G.M.’s testimony, found Lunsford guilty, and sentenced him to 180 days in jail (173 suspended), two years community control, and a $300 fine plus costs.
On appeal Lunsford argued the conviction was against the manifest weight of the evidence, citing lack of corroboration and alleged victim incredibility.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Whether the conviction was against the manifest weight of the evidence	State: victim’s testimony, if believed, proved assault beyond a reasonable doubt	Lunsford: G.M. not credible; no corroborating injury evidence or eyewitnesses	Affirmed — court credited the victim; credibility is for the trier of fact and corroboration is not required for assault convictions

State v. Wilks, 154 Ohio St.3d 359 (2018) (describes manifest-weight standard and appellate review limits)
State v. DeHass, 10 Ohio St.2d 230 (1967) (trial court — not appellate court — resolves witness credibility)