State v. Parsons, 2025 Ohio 1324

Jeremy Keith Parsons was convicted of sexual battery against his 16-year-old stepdaughter, J.B., following a jury trial in Marion County, Ohio.
The charges stemmed from an incident on July 28, 2023, where J.B. alleged that Parsons touched her inappropriately and digitally penetrated her after both had consumed alcohol.
Witnesses at trial included J.B., a sexual assault nurse examiner, and law enforcement. J.B.'s account remained consistent about the core allegations, though some factual details were challenged.
Parsons defended himself by providing an alternative version, asserting J.B. initiated any contact and challenging her credibility on the basis of inconsistency and prior family tensions.
The jury convicted Parsons of sexual battery but acquitted him of rape. He was sentenced to 60 months in prison, a $10,000 fine, and five years of post-release control.
On appeal, Parsons argued the conviction was against the manifest weight of the evidence and that the fine imposed was unconstitutional.

Issue	Parsons's Argument	State's Argument	Held
Whether conviction was against the manifest weight of the evidence	J.B.'s credibility was undermined by inconsistencies and possible motive to fabricate	Evidence was consistent, and jury is best positioned to weigh credibility	Conviction not against the manifest weight of the evidence
Constitutionality and lawfulness of $10,000 fine	Fine was imposed as a de facto no-contact order, amounting to cruel and unusual punishment and was unlawful	Fine was within statutory limits and aimed to punish/protect, not a no-contact order	Fine was lawful and not unconstitutional

State v. Thompkins, 78 Ohio St.3d 380 (1997) (appellate court acts as a thirteenth juror when reviewing manifest weight challenges)
State v. Wilks, 2018-Ohio-1562 (Ohio 2018) (standard for reversing on manifest weight grounds)
State v. Anderson, 2015-Ohio-2089 (Ohio 2015) (community control sanctions and prison are alternatives, not cumulative)
McDougle v. Maxwell, 1 Ohio St.2d 68 (1964) (a sentence within statutory guidelines generally not cruel and unusual punishment)