Case Information
*1
[Cite as
State v. Glanton
,
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO SIXTH APPELLATE DISTRICT WOOD COUNTY
State of Ohio Court of Appeals No. WD-18-091
Appellee Trial Court No. 2012CR0679 v.
Antoine Glanton DECISION AND JUDGMENT Appellant Decided: March 6, 2020 * * * * *
Pаul A. Dobson, Wood County Prosecuting Attorney, and David T. Harold, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, for appellee.
Henry Schaefer, for appellant.
* * * * *
OSOWIK, J.
Introduction The defendant-appellant, Antoine Glanton, [1] was indicted in late-2012 in
Wood County on charges of possessing criminal tools and money laundering, following *2 his arrest on suspicion of committing fraud and identity theft with respect to the purchase and reselling of cell phones. Glanton was released on bond. While he was awaiting trial, Glanton was indicted, convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison for trafficking in cocaine in another Ohio сounty. The instant case was placed on the inactive docket. In late-2017, Glanton filed a motion to dismiss this case on speedy-trial grounds which was denied by the Wood County Court of Common Pleas. The parties then reached an agreement whereby Glanton agreed to plead guilty as charged and to forfeit the cash recovered by police at the time of his arrest. In exchange, the state recommended that his sentence run concurrently to the one that hе was already serving. The trial court’s February 1, 2018 judgment entry reflects the parties’ agreement. On appeal, Glanton argues that the forfeiture provision set forth in R.C. 2981.02 (“Property subject to forfeiture”) is unconstitutional and that the trial court erred in denying his motion to dismiss. Because we find that Glanton lacked standing to challenge the constitutionality of the forfeiture statute and that he waived his speedy-trial rights, we affirm.
Facts and Procedural History According to the record, Glanton was pulled over for speeding along I-75 in
Wood County on November 19, 2012. After initiating the stop, Trooper A. Romero of the Ohio State Highway Patrol observed that Glanton was “extremely nervous,” had trembling hands, and avoided eye contact. Glanton admitted that he was driving with a suspended license and that he was in an overdue rental car that had been rented to *3 someone else. Glanton exited the car and consented to a “pat down,” during which thousands of dollars in cash were found in his front pocket. A police dоg performed a “walk-around” of the rental car and indicated the presence of a marijuana odor coming from the car. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed the presence of two cell phones and receipts for 22 other cell phones that had been purchased in other people’s names. The state alleged that Glanton was engaged in a “money scheme” that
consisted of purchasing cell phones in other рeople’s names, stealing their identity, and then selling the phones to others at a profit. The state charged Glanton with possessing criminal tools, in violation of R.C. 2923.24(A) and (C), a felony of the fifth degree (Count 1) and money laundering, in violation of R.C. 1315.55(A)(3) and 1315.99(C), a felony of the third degree (Count 2). Both counts included a forfeiture specification, pursuant to R.C. 2941.1417(A). Initially, Glanton was released on his own recognizance. On February 25,
2013, the court revoked Glanton’s “OR bond” for his failure to maintain contact with his probation officer and for testing positive for cocaine. The court set bond at “$25,000 no 10%,” which Glanton posted that same day. Glanton failed to appear at the next pretrial hearing on June 24, 2013. At
that time, defense counsel told the court that Glanton was “in the tri-county jail down in *4 Scioto County, Ohio” on two felony drug trafficking offenses. [2] The trial court ordered a state-wide warrant for Glanton’s arrest, and placed the case “on the court’s inactive docket until such time аs the defendant is present.” (June 25, 2013 Order on Warrant). Four years later, on October 2, 2017, Glanton filed a pro se motion to dismiss his case pursuant to R.C. 2941.401. That provision provides a mechanism for a prisoner, who is incarcerated with respect to a different case, to request that he brought to trial on any “untried indictment” within 180 days. The trial court denied Glanton’s motion for failing to comply with the statutory requirements, but it nonetheless set the matter for a pretrial conference and aрpointed Glanton new counsel. During a January 8, 2019 pretrial conference, Glanton’s newly appointed
defense counsel asserted that Glanton, although in attendance for the hearing, was still serving time with respect to his conviction in Scioto County. At counsel’s request, the court continued the hearing and ordered that Glanton remain in the local jail to facilitate ongoing plea negotiations. A change-of-plea and sentencing hearing was held on January 29, 2019. At
thаt time, the parties told the court that Glanton would plead guilty to the offenses set forth in the indictment, in exchange for the state recommending that he be sentenced to serve 12 months in prison, as to each offense, with the sentences to be served *5 concurrently to one another and “with any prison time that he is serving in any other county here in Ohio.” As part of the plea, Glanton’s attorney verified that “the cash that was confiscated at the time of the stop [would be] fоrfeit[ed] under the terms of [the] agreement.” Likewise, the written plea agreement, signed by Glanton, provides that Glanton agreed to “plead guilty to the indictment and consent to the forfeiture of the 8,997.00 in U.S. Currency that is identified in the forfeiture specifications.” Following a colloquy, the court accepted Glanton’s plea, found him guilty, and sentenced him to serve 12 months in prison as to each count, to be served concurrently with one another and concurrently with any other sеntence he is serving. The order also ordered that “the $8,997 is forfeited.” Glanton appealed and raises two assignments of error for our review:
I. The trial court imposed a sentence in violation of the Eight Amendment.
II. The trial court erred when it denied appellant’s motion to dismiss for speedy trial purposes.
Law and Analysis
In his first assignment of error, Glanton claims that R.C. 2981.02
(“Property subject to forfeiture”) violates the Eighth Amendment to the United States
Constitution. Specifically, Glanton argues that the statute violates the amendment’s
“Excessive Fines Clause” because it “demands that all proceeds * * * be seized
regardless of their value, and hence regardless of their proportionality.” Second, Glanton
*6
claims that “even if [the statute is] constitutional,” the forfeiture was unlawful as applied
to his case because the court conducted “no analysis of proportionality.”
[3]
Before a court may decide the merits of a case, the party seeking relief
must have standing to do so. “A person has no standing to attack the constitutionality of
an ordinance unless he has a direct interest in the ordinance of such a nature that his
rights will be adversely affected by its enforcement.”
State v. Bloomer
, 122 Ohio St.3d
200,
*7 operation of the plea agreement and not by statute, we conclude that he lacks standing to challenge the constitutionality of R.C. 2981.02.
R.C. 2981 et seq. governs both civil and criminal forfeitures in Ohio with
regard to contraband, proceeds, and criminal instrumentalities.
See
R.C. 2981.02(A).
Upon the commission of an offense, “[a] law enforcement officer may seize property that
the officer has probable cause to believe is property subject to forfeiture.” R.C.
2981.03(A)(2). The state then acquires рrovisional title and retains the property until a
final adjudication can occur by means of either a criminal forfeiture specification (R.C.
2981.04) or a civil forfeiture petition (R.C. 2981.05). R.C. 2981.03(A)(1). Property is
not subject to forfeiture in a criminal case “unless the * * * count in the indictment * * *
specifies * * * the nature and extent of the alleged offender’s interest in the property, a
description of the property * * * and * * * the alleged use or intended use of the property
in the commission or facilitation of the offense.” R.C. 2941.1417(A).
See, e.g., State v.
Trivette
,
By contrast, the plea in this case included Glanton’s express forfeiture, at
hearing, to “the cash that was confiscated at the time of the stop” and, in writing, to “the
forfeiture of the $8,997.00.” Indeed, Glanton does not challenge his plea on forfeiture
grounds. Therefore, because the forfeiture was ancillary to the plea agreement and not
Chapter 2981, Glanton has no legally protected interest vis-a-vis that statute. It follows
that Glanton has no standing to challenge the constitutionality of R.C. 2981.02 or whether
*9
the forfeiture was proportionate in his case.
State v. Wade,
8th Dist. Cuyahoga No.
854444,
In his second assignment of error, Glanton argues that the trial court erred
when it “denied [his] motion to dismiss for speedy trial purposes.”
Ohio recognizes a statutory and a constitutional right to a speedy trial.
R.C. 2941.401 is a “speedy-trial statute [that is] applicable only to defendants who are
imprisoned in correctional institutions in the state of Ohio and facing charges for crimes
separate from those for which they are already imprisoned.”
See, e.g., State v. Irish
, 3d
Dist. Mercer No. 10-18-13,
The state counters that because Glanton pled guilty, he waived his right to a
speedy trial. In response, Glanton points to his motion to dismiss and thе absence of an
express waiver as evidence that he did not waive his speedy-trial rights in this case.
A guilty plea constitutes a complete admission of guilt. Crim.R. 11(B).
“[A] defendant who * * * voluntarily, knowingly, and intelligently enters a guilty plea
with the assistance of counsel may not thereafter raise independent claims relating to the
deprivation of constitutional rights that occurred prior to the entry of the guilty plea.”
(Quotation omitted.)
State v. Ketterer
,
It is well-settled that “a plea of guilty waives a defendant’s right to
challenge his or her conviction on statutory speedy trial grounds pursuant to R.C.
2945.71(B)(2).”
Kelley
at paragraph one of the syllabus,
following Montpelier v. Greeno
,
Both the Ohio Supreme Court and this court havе stated that the
Ohio speedy-trial statutes are the state’s method of implementing the right
to a speedy trial contained in the United States and Ohio Constitutions.
State v. Adams,
Likewise, the Seventh District has found that “a guilty plea waives
an offender’s right to raise both statutory and constitutional speedy trial claims.”
State v. Smith
, 7th Dist. Columbiana No.
By contrast, the Eighth and Ninth Districts have found that because the
statutory and constitutional speedy-trial rights are separate concepts that require “separate
analyses,” a guilty plea does not result in a waiver of an offender’s constitutional right to
a speedy trial.
Watson
at ¶ 6, citing
State v. Branch,
Recently, in State v. Turski , 6th Dist. Lucas No. L-18-1217, 2019-Ohio- 3604, ¶ 7, the defendant entered an Alford plea to multiple felonies, and the trial court imposed the agreed-upon sentence of ten years. On appeal, the defendant pointed to the *12 absence of any speedy-trial waiver and his ignorance of his speedy-trial rights in general as evidence that he did not waive such rights by entering a plea. His assignment of error included statutory and constitutional speedy-trial violation claims.
In denying the appeal, we determined that the trial court had “fully
complied” with Crim.R. 11(C) when advising the defendant of his constitutional and non-
constitutional rights. Second, we noted that “a [trial] court’s failure to inform a defendant
that his guilty plea would waive a speedy-trial violation issue on appeal [does] not render
the plea involuntary.”
Id.
at ¶ 10, citing
State v. Snyder,
7th Dist. Mahoning No.
03MA152,
We reach the same result today, and we specifically find that a defendant, by entering a guilty plea, generally waives both the statutory and the constitutional right to a speedy trial. Next, we address Glanton’s argument that, to the extent his guilty plea is considered to have waived his speedy-trial rights, his plea was entered involuntarily, unknowingly, and unintelligently.
A t the January 29, 2018 plea hearing, the trial court fully complied with Crim.R. 11(C) by ensuring that Glanton was clеarheaded and had not been forced into entering the plea, that he understood the effect of his guilty plea and the nature of the charges and the maximum penalties. The court informed Glanton that by entering the *13 plea he was giving up his constitutional right to a jury trial and the requirement that the charges against him be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, the right to call and confront witnesses, and the right against self-incrimination. Therefore, Glanton’s plea will not be considered to have been entered involuntarily, unintelligently, or unknowingly, notwithstanding the absence of any explicit speedy-trial waiver. By pleading guilty, Glanton waived those claims.
Moreover, even if Glanton had not waived his speedy-trial rights, he failed to establish a statutory or constitutional violation.
With respect to his statutory claim, R.C. 2941.401 may be invoked when a
defendant “causes to be delivered to the prosecuting attorney and the appropriate court”
the following items: a writtеn notice the defendant’s place of imprisonment, a request for
a final disposition, and a certificate of the warden having custody of the prisoner. Subject
to continuances allowed by the statute, a qualifying defendant “shall be brought to trial
within one hundred eight days.” Generally, “statutory speedy-trial time will not begin to
run until the defendant files a request for disposition in accordance with R.C. 2941.401.”
Irish
at
¶
17, citing
State v. Ondrusek
, 9th Dist. Lorain Nos. 09CA009626 and
09CA009673,
Based upon our review of the record, Glanton never “cause[d] to be
delivered” a request for a final disposition and therefore never “triggered the process to
cause him to be brought to trial within 180 days of his notice and request.”
State v.
*14
Larkin,
5th Dist. Richland No. 2004-CA-103,
Nor would we find that Glanton’s constitutional right to a speedy trial was
violated. “To determine whether a defendant has been deprived of [his] constitutional
speedy-trial rights, a court must balance four factors: (1) the length of the delay, (2) the
reason for the delay, (3) the defendant’s assertion of a speedy-trial right, and (4) the
prejudice to the defendant.”
State v. Adams
,
Here, Glanton correctly asserts that the nearly-62 month delay between the
indictment and the entry of his guilty plea is presumptively prejudicial.
Doggett v.
United States
,
The second
Barker
factor considers the reasons given for the delay. Delay
that is caused by the defendant does not count аgainst the state.
State v. Triplett
, 78 Ohio
St.3d 566, 570,
“The third factor addresses the timeliness and frequency of the defendant’s
assertions of his speedy-trial right.”
State v. Rice
, 1st Dist. Hamilton No. C-150191,
Finally, we consider whether Glanton was prejudiced by the delay. In considering the prejudice, the U.S. Supreme Court has held prejudice “should be assessed in the light of the interests which the speedy trial right were designed to protect * * *: (i) to prevent oppressive pretrial incarceration; (ii) to minimize anxiety and concern of the accused; and (iii) to limit the possibility that the defense will be impaired.” Barker at 532. The Barker court elaborated that “[o]f these, the most serious is the last, because the inability of a defendаnt adequately to prepare his case skews the fairness of the entire system.” Id.
In this case, the first interest protected by the right to a speedy trial is not implicated. That is, at all times relevant to Glanton’s speedy-trial claim, he was either out on bond or incarcerated for unrelated offenses. Irish at ¶ 42 (No prejudice shown where the defendant “was not threatened with the prospect of oppressive pretrial *17 incarceration [because] his liberty was already severely restrained” in a different case.). With respect to the second interest, because Glanton was aware of this case for 51 months before asserting his speedy-trial right, he cannot and indeed has not claimed that the pending nature of this case caused him undue anxiety. With respect to the final factor, while there is no evidence in the record as to how Glanton intended to defend himself against the charges and whether that evidence was compromised over the passage of time, we note that Glanton has made no such claim. Moreover, the fact that he received a sentence in the instant case that is concurrent to the one he is currently serving militates against a finding of prejudice. Irish at ¶ 46.
A balancing of the four factors in the Barker-Doggett analysis shows that the first factor is weighted in Glanton’s favor, while the other three are weighted in the state’s favor. Therefore, even if Glanton had not waived his constitutional speedy-trial claim, it would still fail. Accordingly, we find Glantоn’s second assignment of error is not well-taken.
The February 2, 2018 judgment of the Wood County Court of Common Pleas is affirmed. Pursuant to App.R. 24, Glanton is ordered to pay the costs of this appeal.
Judgment affirmed. *18 State v. Glanton C.A. No. WD-18-091 A certified copy of this entry shall constitute the mandate pursuant to App.R. 27.
See also 6th Dist.Loc.App.R. 4.
Arlene Singer, J. _______________________________ JUDGE Thomas J. Osowik, J.
_______________________________ Christine E. Mayle, J. JUDGE CONCUR.
_______________________________ JUDGE This decision is subject to further editing by the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Reporter of Decisions. Parties interested in viewing the final reported version are advised to visit the Ohiо Supreme Court’s web site at: http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/ROD/docs/.
Notes
[1] We spell appellant’s first name as it is spelled in his pro se notice of appeal, i.e., “Antoine.” We note, however, that most filings in the trial court and the Wood County Clerk of Court’s website identify the appellant as “Antione.”
[2] Based upon our review of the docket for case No. 13CR000249, Glanton pled guilty in the Scioto County case to one count of trafficking in cocaine, in violation of R.C. 2925.03(A)(2). On December 3, 2013, the Scioto County Court of Common Pleas sentenced Glanton to serve eight years in prison.
