STATE OF OHIO, PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE, v. ROBERT W. TROCHE, JR., DEFENDANT-APPELLANT.
CASE NO. 9-22-18
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO THIRD APPELLATE DISTRICT MARION COUNTY
February 27, 2023
2023-Ohio-565
MILLER, P.J.
Appeal from Marion County Common Pleas Court, Trial Court No. 2021 CR 027. Judgment Affirmed.
Edwin M. Bibler for Appellant
Jocelyn Stefancin for Appellee
{¶1} Defendant-appellant, Robert W. Troche, Jr., appeals the March 9, 2022 judgment of sentence of the Marion County Court of Common Pleas. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.
{¶2} On January 13, 2021, the Marion County Grand Jury indicted Troche on two counts: Count One of possession of fentanyl in violation of
{¶3} At trial, Lieutenant Richard Wheeler, a third-shift supervisor and canine handler with the Marion City Police Department, testified that while on patrol on July 11, 2020, he observed a stopped vehicle facing eastbound at the intersection of East Mark Street and North Greenwood. (Feb. 15, 2022 Tr. at 130-131). Lieutenant Wheeler testified that as he passed the vehicle, he ran the license plate through ILINCS, a law-enforcement database, and learned that the vehicle was registered to Susan Hardgrove, a female from Delaware, Ohio. (Id. at 131-132). According to Lieutenant Wheeler, the ILINCS system allows law enforcement officers to add notes to vehicles in the system regarding previous drivers, occupants, and safety
{¶4} Lieutenant Wheeler testified that, in the process of turning around his police cruiser, he briefly lost sight of the vehicle. (Id. at 132). However, shortly thereafter, he observed the vehicle in the driveway of 525 Tyler Street in Marion, Ohio. (Id.). At the time Lieutenant Wheeler made contact with Troche, he was outside the vehicle. (Id. at 133). Lieutenant Wheeler approached Troche by calling out his name; however, Troche repeatedly denied that it was his name. (Id.). However, Lieutenant Wheeler stated that he “confirmed” the individual he was talking to was Troche through the BMV photograph and an assisting officer who identified Troche from a previous encounter. (Id.).
{¶5} Then, Lieutenant Wheeler placed Troche under arrest. (Feb. 15, 2022 Tr. at 133). At the time, Troche maintained that his name was not Robert Troche and alleged that the police were “harassing” him. (Id.). So, Lieutenant Wheeler
{¶6} Lieutenant Wheeler explained that pursuant to Marion Police Department policy, officers are not permitted to leave a vehicle parked on private property without the consent of the property owner or manager. (Id. at 142). Lieutenant Wheeler stated that he knocked on the door of 525 Tyler Street in an attempt to make contact with the owners, but there was no answer. (Id. at 134). According to Lieutenant Wheeler, if officers do not receive permission to leave a vehicle on private property, the officer‘s options are to tow the vehicle off the property or allow the vehicle‘s owner to move the vehicle from the property, if it can be accomplished in a timely fashion. (Id.). Lieutenant Wheeler then called Hardgrove, who confirmed that her son, Troche, had her consent to use the vehicle. (Id.). Hardgrove, who was located in Delaware, Ohio, informed Lieutenant Wheeler that she would immediately travel to 525 Tyler Street to retrieve her vehicle. (Id. at 142, 150).
{¶7} While Lieutenant Wheeler waited for Hardgrove to arrive on the scene, he deployed his canine partner to conduct an exterior vehicle sniff to detect the odor of narcotics and the canine gave a positive alert. (Id. at 134-136). Then, Lieutenant
{¶8} State‘s Exhibit 3, Lieutenant Wheeler‘s body camera footage of the incident on July 11, 2020 was played for the jury. (Feb. 15, 2022 Tr. at 139-142); (State‘s Ex. 3). The body camera footage was consistent with Lieutenant Wheeler‘s testimony regarding the events of July 11, 2020. (State‘s Ex. 3). Additionally, the body camera footage depicted Lieutenant Wheeler finding a bag of marijuana in the center console of the vehicle. (Id.). In the body camera footage, Troche admitted the marijuana belonged to him and explained that he has a medical marijuana card. (Id.).
{¶9} On cross-examination, Lieutenant Wheeler admitted that he did not witness Troche make furtive movements. (Feb. 15, 2022 Tr. at 146-147). Likewise, he did not observe Troche “scrambl[e]” or throw any objects away from the vehicle.
{¶10} On redirect examination, Lieutenant Wheeler testified that Troche was smoking a cigarette when Lieutenant Wheeler first approached him. (Id. at 153-154). Lieutenant Wheeler described finding two packages of Newport cigarettes inside the vehicle. (Id. at 154). One package of Newport cigarettes was located in the driver‘s door pocket. (Id. at 153). Additionally, according to Lieutenant Wheeler, when he located the black case in the driver‘s door pocket, the case was sitting on the top of the other items located therein, including the Newport cigarettes. (Id. at 153-154). Lieutenant Wheeler confirmed that officers did not locate cigarettes on Troche‘s person when he was searched incident to his arrest. (Id. at 154). Additionally, Lieutenant Wheeler verified Troche was inside the vehicle at the same time as the black case containing the suspected drugs was inside the vehicle. (Id. at 154-155).
{¶12} At the close of the State‘s evidence, Troche moved for a judgment of acquittal under
{¶13} The jury found Troche guilty on both counts as charged in the indictment. The trial court accepted the jury‘s verdicts and continued Troche‘s sentencing pending completion of a presentence investigation report.
{¶14} At the sentencing hearing on March 7, 2022, the trial court sentenced Troche to nine months in prison on Count One and nine months in prison on Count Two. The court ordered the sentences to run consecutively for an aggregate prison
{¶15} Troche filed a notice of appeal on April 7, 2022. He raises four assignments of error for our review. For ease of discussion, we elect to address his first two assignments of error together.
Assignment of Error No. I
The trial court erred by failing to grant a judgment of acquittal, pursuant to
Crim.R. 29(A) on the Possession of Fentanyl [Charge] in violation ofO.R.C. 2925.11(A)(C)(11) , and the Aggravated Possession of Drugs Charge in violation ofO.R.C. 2925.11(A)(C)(1) and thereafter entering a judgment of conviction on these offenses as the charges were not supported by sufficient evidence.
Assignment of Error No. II
The jury verdict on the Possession of Fentanyl and the Aggravated Possession of Drugs Charge[s] were against the manifest weight of the evidence presented at trial.
{¶16} In his first assignment of error, Troche argues that his convictions are not supported by sufficient evidence. Specifically, Troche maintains the State presented insufficient evidence that he “knowingly” possessed the drugs contained in the black case. Accordingly, Troche contends the trial court abused its discretion by denying his
Crim.R. 29 , and Manifest Weight Review
{¶17} Manifest “weight of the evidence and sufficiency of the evidence are clearly different legal concepts.” State v. Thompkins, 78 Ohio St.3d 380, 389 (1997). Accordingly, we address each legal concept individually.
{¶18} “An appellate court‘s function when reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence to support a criminal conviction is to examine the evidence admitted at trial to determine whether such evidence, if believed, would convince the average mind of the defendant‘s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.” State v. Jenks, 61 Ohio St.3d 259 (1991), paragraph two of the syllabus, superseded by state constitutional amendment on other grounds, State v. Smith, 80 Ohio St.3d 89 (1997). Consequently, “[t]he relevant inquiry is whether, after viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime proven beyond a reasonable doubt.” Id. “In deciding if the evidence was sufficient, we neither resolve evidentiary conflicts nor assess the credibility of witnesses, as both are functions reserved for the trier of fact.” State v. Jones, 1st Dist. Hamilton Nos. C-120570 and C-120571, 2013-Ohio-4775, ¶ 33.
{¶20} On the other hand, in determining whether a conviction is against the manifest weight of the evidence, a reviewing court must examine the entire record, “‘weigh[ ] the evidence and all reasonable inferences, consider[ ] the credibility of witnesses and determine[ ] whether in resolving conflicts in the evidence, the [trier of fact] clearly lost its way and created such a manifest miscarriage of justice that the conviction must be reversed and a new trial ordered.‘” Thompkins at 387, quoting State v. Martin, 20 Ohio App.3d 172, 175 (1st Dist.1983). A reviewing court must, however, allow the trier of fact appropriate discretion on matters relating to the weight of the evidence and the credibility of the witnesses. State v. DeHass, 10 Ohio St.2d 230, 231 (1967). When applying the manifest weight standard,
Troche‘s Offenses
{¶21} We first review the sufficiency of the evidence supporting Troche‘s convictions. Troche was found guilty of possession of fentanyl in violation of
{¶22} Possession of drugs under
{¶23} “‘Possess’ or ‘possession’ means having control over a thing or substance, but may not be inferred solely from mere access to the thing or substance through ownership or occupation of the premises upon which the thing or substance is found.”
{¶24} On appeal, Troche argues only that there is insufficient evidence that he had knowledge of the drugs found in the black case. He challenges the State‘s
{¶25} “The issue of whether a person charged with drug possession knowingly possessed a controlled substance ‘is to be determined from all the attendant facts and circumstances available.‘” State v. Brooks, 3d Dist. Hancock No. 5-11-11, 2012-Ohio-5235, ¶ 45, quoting State v. Teamer, 82 Ohio St.3d 490, 492 (1998). The Ohio Revised Code defines “knowingly” as follows:
A person acts knowingly, regardless of purpose, when the person is aware that the person‘s conduct will probably cause a certain result or will probably be of a certain nature. A person has knowledge of circumstances when the person is aware that such circumstances probably exist. When knowledge of the existence of a particular fact is an element of an offense, such knowledge is established if a person subjectively believes that there is a high probability of its existence and fails to make inquiry or acts with a conscious purpose to avoid learning the fact.
{¶27} “[T]he State may prove the existence of the various elements of constructive possession of contraband by circumstantial evidence alone.” Id. “Absent a defendant‘s admission, the surrounding facts and circumstances, including the defendant‘s actions, are evidence that the trier of fact can consider in determining whether the defendant had constructive possession.” State v. Voll, 3d Dist. Union No. 14-12-04, 2012-Ohio-3900, ¶ 19. “Inherent in a finding of constructive possession is that the defendant was conscious of the item and therefore had knowledge of it.” State v. Alexander, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 90509, 2009-Ohio-597, ¶ 24, citing Hankerson at syllabus and State v. Wolery, 46 Ohio St.2d 316, 329 (1976).
{¶29} “A jury can make reasonable inferences from the evidence.” State v. Knight, 10th Dist. Franklin No. 16AP-288, and 16AP-290, 2016-Ohio-8134, ¶ 26. “‘It is permissible for a jury to draw inferences from the facts presented to them.‘” Id., quoting State v. Sanders, 6th Dist. Lucas No. L-96-379, 1998 WL 78787, *3 (Feb. 13, 1998), citing State v. Palmer, 80 Ohio St.3d 543, 561 (1997). There are numerous inferences that can be made from the State‘s evidence that Troche was aware of the presence of the contents of the zippered black case. For example, the fact that the black case was on top of the other items contained inside the driver‘s door pocket, including Newport cigarettes, leads to an inference that Troche was
{¶30} Troche contends that his acknowledgement of ownership of the cigarettes and marijuana contained in the center console, combined with his denial of knowledge of the items contained within the black case, leads to an inference that he was not aware of the black case or its contents. This argument largely relates to the weight of the evidence rather than sufficiency of the evidence. See State v. Shelby, 6th Dist. Wood No. WD-17-056, 2019-Ohio-1564, ¶ 27 (“[A]ppellant‘s argument—that either Britton or Holmes ‘could have placed’ the drugs into his hand—speaks to the weight, not the sufficiency of the evidence.“). Nevertheless, Troche‘s assertion that the drugs in the black case did not belong to him is inconsequential in light of the evidence that Troche had dominion and control over those items. State v. Frye, 3d Dist. Allen No. 1-17-30, 2018-Ohio-894, ¶ 53, quoting State v. Grundy, 9th Dist. Summit No. 19016, 1998 WL 852844, *10 (Dec. 9, 1998) (“‘It is also irrelevant that he did not admit that the cocaine was his. Sufficient evidence existed that Defendant had exercised dominion and control over the cocaine, and was in constructive possession of the substance.‘“).
{¶31} Furthermore, even assuming Hardgrove also had access to the drugs in the black case, as Troche implies, does not vitiate Troche‘s conviction since Troche and Hardgrove could have had joint possession and control of the drugs.
{¶32} Thus, when examining the evidence in the light most favorable to the State, we find that a rational trier of fact could have found that Troche was aware of the drugs inside the black case. See State v. Willamson, 2d Dist. Montgomery No. 27147, 2017-Ohio-7098, ¶ 15, 58 (sufficient evidence supported the conclusion that the defendant knowingly possessed the heroin and cocaine where officers found a bag of heroin capsules on the passenger seat of the vehicle and an additional baggie of cocaine “in the middle console of the car, in the ashtray, just below the radio [both of which] would have been easily accessible to the driver.“).
{¶33} Having determined that sufficient evidence supports his convictions, we turn to Troche‘s arguments that his convictions are against the manifest weight of the evidence. In support of this assertion, Troche largely relies on similar arguments to those relating to the sufficiency of the evidence.
{¶34} Troche argues that his convictions are against the manifest weight of the evidence because the State could not conclusively establish that Troche placed the black case containing the drugs into the vehicle. However, as noted above, the jury is able to make reasonable inferences based on the evidence presented at trial.
{¶35} Troche also argues that his admission to the ownership of the cigarettes and marijuana found near the center console lends credibility to his denial of knowledge of the drugs located in the black case in the driver‘s door pocket. However, through his own statements, Troche did not believe the cigarettes and marijuana were illegal. Accordingly, Troche‘s admission to ownership of those items does not bolster his credibility such that the jury clearly lost its way by choosing not to believe that he was unaware of the black case containing drugs in the driver‘s door pocket.
{¶36} Additionally, Troche contends that the fact that the marijuana and opened package of Newport cigarettes were found in a different location from the unopened package of Newport cigarettes and the black case containing the drugs at issue weighs heavily against the jury‘s finding that he knowingly possessed the drugs. We disagree. Although Troche‘s appellate brief implies otherwise,
{¶37} We conclude that the jury could reasonably infer from the evidence presented at trial that Troche exercised dominion and control over the drugs located in the black case. After reviewing the evidence presented at trial, we do not find that the jury lost its way in concluding that Troche knowingly possessed the items contained in the black case. Accordingly, Troche‘s possession-of-fentanyl and aggravated-possession-of-drugs convictions are not against the manifest weight of the evidence. See Hudson, 2018-Ohio-133, at ¶ 60 (rejecting a similar manifest weight-of-the-evidence argument).
{¶38} Troche‘s first and second assignments of error are overruled.
Assignment of Error No. III
The Trial Court abused its discretion by imposing a prison sentence contrary to
R.C. 2929.11 and the purposes and principles of the felony sentencing guidelines.
{¶39} In his third assignment of error, Troche argues that his sentence is contrary to law.
{¶40} Under
Relevant Authority
{¶41} “‘Trial courts have full discretion to impose any sentence within the statutory range.‘” State v. Smith, 3d Dist. Seneca No. 13-15-17, 2015-Ohio-4225, ¶ 9, quoting State v. Noble, 3d Dist. Logan No. 8-14-06, 2014-Ohio-5485, ¶ 9, citing State v. Saldana, 3d Dist. Putnam No. 12-12-09, 2013-Ohio-1122, ¶ 20. A sentence imposed within the statutory range is generally valid so long as the trial court considered the applicable statutory policies that apply to every felony sentencing, including those contained in
{¶43} “In accordance with these principles, the trial court must consider the factors set forth in
Analysis
{¶44} In the instant case, Troche was sentenced for one count of possession of fentanyl in violation of
{¶45} Furthermore, the record reflects that the trial court considered
{¶46} The trial court also considered the seriousness and recidivism factors set forth in
{¶47} “A trial court‘s statement that it considered the required statutory factors * * * is sufficient to fulfill its obligations under the sentencing statutes.” Maggette, 2016-Ohio-5554, at ¶ 32, citing State v. Abrams, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 103786, 2016-Ohio-4570, ¶ 14, citing State v. Payne, 114 Ohio St.3d 502, 2007-Ohio-4642, ¶ 18. Therefore, because Troche‘s sentence is within the statutory range and the record supports that the trial court fulfilled its obligation of considering
{¶48} Nevertheless, Troche argues that his sentence is “inconsistent” with the purposes of felony sentencing because his offenses were low-level felonies, the offenses were not violent, and there was no victim. Additionally, Troche claims he accepted responsibility for his actions, had already been incarcerated for approximately one month prior to sentencing, and his most recent felony conviction was in 2015.
{¶49} Although ”
{¶50} Accordingly, even if we were to agree with Troche that his sentence is not supported by the record under
{¶51} Troche‘s third assignment of error is overruled.
Defendant-Appellant was deprived of his rights to due process and a fair trial under the federal and state constitutions by the cumulative effect of the numerous errors in this case.
{¶52} In his fourth assignment of error, Troche summarily argues that he was deprived of a fair trial due to the cumulative effect of the alleged errors outlined in his other three assignments of error. We disagree.
{¶53} Under the cumulative-error doctrine, “a conviction will be reversed when the cumulative effect of errors in a trial deprives a defendant of a fair trial even though each of the numerous instances of trial court error does not individually constitute cause for reversal.” State v. Spencer, 3d Dist. Marion No. 9-13-50, 2015-Ohio-52, ¶ 83. “To find cumulative error, a court must first find multiple errors committed at trial and determine that there is a reasonable probability that the outcome below would have been different but for the combination of the harmless errors.” In re J.M., 3d Dist. Putnam No. 12-11-06, 2012-Ohio-1467, ¶ 36. Here, we have not found that the trial court committed any errors, let alone, multiple errors. Therefore, the cumulative-error doctrine does not apply. See State v. Jamison, 9th Dist. Summit No. 27664, 2016-Ohio-5122, ¶ 40, abrogated on other grounds, State v. Haynes, ___ Ohio St.3d ___, 2022-Ohio-4473. (“If there [are] not multiple errors, * * * the cumulative error doctrine does not apply.“); State v.
{¶54} Troche‘s fourth assignment of error is overruled.
{¶55} Having found no error prejudicial to the appellant herein in the particulars assigned and argued, we affirm the judgment of the Marion County Court of Common Pleas.
Judgment Affirmed
WILLAMOWSKI and ZIMMERMAN, J.J., concur.
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