State v. Staton, 2014 Ohio 5131

At a high-school football scrimmage, appellant Darren Staton walked past Delbert Hawk and his family and said multiple times words to the effect of “I’m going to (or I’ll) smash you.”
Witnesses nearby heard the threat; Delbert and his new wife Jennifer reported the incident and later discovered "Delbert is gay" written in the dirt on Delbert’s truck (Staton denied writing it).
Staton was charged with one count of menacing under R.C. 2903.22(A), a fourth-degree misdemeanor; he pled not guilty and proceeded to a bench trial.
The trial court found Staton guilty and imposed 30 days in jail (all but two suspended), fines, probation-like conditions, and anger-management.
Staton appealed, arguing (1) insufficient evidence to support menacing and (2) conviction against the manifest weight of the evidence.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Sufficiency of the evidence to prove menacing	State: Staton’s admission and witness testimony established he knowingly caused Delbert to believe he would cause physical harm.	Staton: Investigation was inadequate; unbiased witness couldn’t identify him; testimony inconsistent.	Affirmed. Evidence, including Staton’s admission, was sufficient.
Manifest weight of the evidence	State: Credibility issues are for the trier of fact; testimony supports conviction.	Staton: Conflicting testimony and evidentiary gaps show the conviction is against the manifest weight.	Affirmed. The court, acting as the "thirteenth juror," found no miscarriage of justice.

State v. Thompkins, 78 Ohio St.3d 380 (Ohio 1997) (distinguishes sufficiency and manifest-weight standards; describes role of appellate court as "thirteenth juror")
State v. Jenks, 61 Ohio St.3d 259 (Ohio 1991) (sets sufficiency-of-the-evidence standard for criminal convictions)
State v. Yarbrough, 95 Ohio St.3d 227 (Ohio 2002) (credibility and weight of evidence are for the trier of fact)