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2024 Ohio 4813

State v. Wells

Ohio Court of Appeals

Decided October 4, 2024

This page is marked noindex.

Ohio Court of Appeals · decided 2024-10-04

The trial court did not err by overruling appellant's motion to suppress the results of gunshot residue testing conducted upon appellant's clothing after he was arrested. The trial court acted within its discretion by overruling appellant's request in the middle of trial for a competency hearing and evaluation. Appellant's convictions for felonious assault, domestic violence, having a weapon under disability, and tampering with evidence were supported by sufficient evidence and were not against the manifest weight of the evidence. The trial court did not commit any sentencing errors. Judgments affirmed.

Relies on State v. Thompkins · State v. Jenks · 20 Ohio App. 3d 172 - State v. Martin

Decided 2024-10-04

[Cite as State v. Wells, 
2024-Ohio-4813
.]




                                IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO
                                   SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT
                                         CLARK COUNTY

 STATE OF OHIO                                      :
                                                    :
       Appellee                                     :   C.A. No. 2023-CA-41
                                                    :
 v.                                                 :   Trial Court Case Nos. 22-CR-278;
                                                    :   22-CR-470
 DEREAL LAMONT WELLS                                :
                                                    :   (Criminal Appeal from Common Pleas
       Appellant                                    :   Court)
                                                    :

                                              ...........

                                              OPINION

                                       Rendered on October 4, 2024

                                              ...........

RICHARD L. KAPLAN, Attorney for Appellant

ROBERT C. LOGSDON, Attorney for Appellee

                                             .............

TUCKER, J.

        {¶ 1} Defendant-appellant Dereal Lamont Wells appeals from his convictions for

domestic violence, felonious assault, having a weapon under disability, tampering with

evidence, and trespass into a habitation where a person is present or likely to be present.
                                                                                         -2-


For the reasons set out below, we affirm.



                            I.     Factual and Procedural History

       {¶ 2} This appeal arises from two cases which were consolidated for trial. In Clark

C.P. No. 2022-CR-470, Wells was indicted on two counts of domestic violence, one count

of felonious assault, one count of attempted murder, one count of having weapons under

disability, and one count of tampering with evidence. One of the domestic violence

charges and the felonious assault charge carried attendant three-year firearm

specifications. In Clark C.P. No. 2022-CR-278, Wells was indicted on one count of

trespass in a habitation when a person is present or likely to be present. He filed a

motion to suppress evidence, which was overruled.           The following evidence was

presented at trial.

       {¶ 3} At all relevant times, the victim and Wells lived together and were involved in

an intimate relationship. On November 3, 2021, Wells was asleep on a couch when his

gun and bullets fell out of his pocket. The victim hid the items. When Wells awoke, he

became angry that the victim had taken his gun and demanded that she return the gun.

According to the victim, he pushed and dragged her around the house while looking for

the gun. At one point, Wells placed her in a compressing position, which caused her to

be unable to breathe and to feel “fuzzy.”      He also hit her and threw her down the

basement stairs.

       {¶ 4} The victim’s minor child made a call to 911 during the assault. Clark County

Sheriff’s Department deputies responded.       Upon arriving at the residence, a deputy
                                                                                        -3-


overheard a man say, “I’m gonna kill you, bitch.” Deputies knocked on the door but

received no response. The victim testified that Wells had told her not to answer the door.

Eventually police broke through the door and encountered Wells, the victim, and her

minor children. The victim did not cooperate with the deputies and did not make a written

statement at that time. At trial, she testified that she had not cooperated because she

believed Wells would retaliate if she did.

       {¶ 5} On March 22, 2022, the victim and Wells were sitting on the bed in their

shared bedroom. Wells was seated with his back to the headboard facing the closet,

with his gun in his lap. The victim was seated with her back toward Wells. The victim

heard Wells move the slide on the gun to load a bullet into the chamber. The victim

moved just as the gun discharged. She testified that the discharge came so close to her

ear that she temporarily lost hearing and smelled burnt hair by her ear. She turned to

face Wells and could see he was speaking, but she was unable to hear him.

       {¶ 6} The victim immediately ran to her daughter’s room to try to get her out of the

house. Wells entered the child’s bedroom, and the victim attempted to calm him and get

him to leave the house. The two exited the house together, but the victim went back

inside and locked the door. Wells kicked the door open. The two then traveled in the

victim’s van to a nearby Speedway gas station. The victim went to the restroom. When

she returned to the van, she saw that Wells had exited the van, and she got in the van

and drove off.

       {¶ 7} Shortly thereafter, police received a 911 call from an individual who stated

that a man had broken into the individual’s house on Woodward Avenue. The man, later
                                                                                        -4-


identified as Wells, had entered the house and kept asking, “Where is [S]?”1 According

to the evidence, Wells had noticed a van that was similar to the victim’s van parked

outside of that residence. The residents of the home were able to get Wells out of their

home and took pictures of him on their cell phones. Wells was seen a few minutes later

trying to get into the van. He was subsequently located by a neighbor lying in the bed of

a pickup truck. The neighbor held Wells at gunpoint until the deputies arrived.

         {¶ 8} Wells was arrested and booked into the Clark County Jail. He was required

to change into jail clothing, and his personal clothing was placed in a property room where

all inmate property was stored. Thereafter, the sergeant investigating the case retrieved

the clothing, packaged it as evidence, and sent it to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal

Investigation to be tested for gunshot residue. Wells’s sweatpants and sweatshirt tested

positive for gunshot residue.

         {¶ 9} Investigators took pictures of the front door of the victim’s home.    The

pictures showed damage to the door frame. Investigators also found a bullet hole in the

wall of the closet that Wells had been facing when he discharged his gun. Pictures of

the damaged door and bullet hole were introduced at trial.

         {¶ 10} The jury found Wells guilty on all counts except attempted murder. At

sentencing, the trial court merged one of domestic violence offenses with the felonious

assault, and the State elected to proceed to sentencing on the felonious assault. The

court then imposed prison terms of 24 months each for the convictions of domestic

violence, having weapons under disability, and tampering with evidence.         The court



1
    The name used by Wells was the name of the victim of the domestic violence offenses.
                                                                                      -5-


imposed a 12-month sentence for trespassing in a habitation. Finally, the court imposed

an indefinite sentence of 8 to 12 years for the felonious assault, plus a three-year

mandatory prison term for the attendant firearm specification. The court specified that

the sentence on the firearm specification was to be served prior and consecutive to the

sentence imposed for felonious assault. The court ordered all of the sentences to run

consecutively for an aggregate sentence of 18 to 22 years.

      {¶ 11} Wells appeals.



                               II.    Suppression of Evidence

      {¶ 12} Wells’s first assignment of error states:

             SEIZURE OF A PRISONER’S CLOTHING, HELD IN THE

      SHERIFF’S SAFEKEEPING, FOR THE PURPOSE OF A SEARCH OR

      TESTING FOR EVIDENCE OF A CRIME REQUIRES THE LAW

      ENFORCEMENT OFFICER TO OBTAIN A SEARCH WARRANT.

      FAILURE TO OBTAIN A SEARCH WARRANT RENDERS ALL EVIDENCE

      AND TESTIMONY RESULTING TESTIMONY [SIC] INADMISSIABLE [SIC]

      AT TRIAL.

      {¶ 13} Wells contends the trial court erred by denying his motion to suppress.

Specifically, he notes that when he was booked into jail, his clothing was placed in the

“jail property room which housed property of incarcerate[d] persons.” The clothing was

later retrieved by the investigating officers and sent to a lab to be tested for gunshot

residue. Wells asserts the seizure and testing were improper because the clothing was
                                                                                        -6-


taken without a warrant.

      {¶ 14} We addressed this very issue in State v. Kinley, 
1993 WL 224496
 (2d Dist.

June 24, 1993), wherein we noted that the United States Supreme Court has held that,

“once an accused has been lawfully arrested and is in custody, the effects in his

possession at the place of his detention that were subject to search at the time and place

of arrest may lawfully be searched and seized without a warrant even after a substantial

time has elapsed between the arrest and later administrative processing and the taking

of the property as evidence.” Id. at *6, quoting United States v. Edwards, 
415 U.S. 800

(1974), syllabus. Additionally, the court noted that a person and the property in his

immediate possession may be searched at the station house after the arrest has occurred

at another place and, if evidence of crime is discovered, it may be seized and admitted in

evidence. Further, “[there is no] doubt that clothing or other belongings may be seized

upon arrival of the accused at the place of detention and later subjected to laboratory

analysis or that the tests results are admissible at trial.” Id. at *7, quoting 
Edwards at 804-805
.

      {¶ 15} Based upon Edwards and Kinley, we conclude the trial court did not err in

overruling Wells’s motion to suppress.

      {¶ 16} The first assignment of error is overruled.



                                      III.   Competency

      {¶ 17} Wells asserts the following for his second assignment of error:

             THE COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION WHEN IT REFUSED TO
                                                                                           -7-


       ORDER A COMPETENCY EVALUATION AFTER BEING ADVISED BY

       COUNSEL       MR.    WELLS      WAS     RECEIVING       SOCIAL      SECURITY

       DISABILITY FOR MENTAL RETARDATION AND WAS POSSIBLY BI-

       POLAR.

       {¶ 18} Wells claims the trial court erred in not ordering a competency evaluation.

On the second day of trial, just after the start of the afternoon session and just before the

State called its last witness, defense counsel addressed the court and stated:

              I want the Court to know just less than 5 minutes ago my client

       informed me that he had discussions with his mother and that he is receiving

       Social Security disability for mental retardation - - this is what he has related

       to me. I haven’t been able to confirm that yet - - and bipolar disorder,

       Judge. So I felt the only thing I could do was bring that to the attention of

       the Court and ask the Court how we should proceed.

              It would be our position that if, in fact, those are ailments that he does

       suffer from, that there may be a need to have his competency addressed.

       So I apologize for the untimeliness of this. We had no indication of it

       whatsoever prior to trial, and it was just brought up within the last five

       minutes.

Tr. p. 312-313.

       {¶ 19} “It has long been recognized that ‘a person [who] lacks the capacity to

understand the nature and object of the proceedings against him, to consult with counsel,

and to assist in preparing his defense may not be subjected to a trial.’ ” State v. Smith,
                                                                                          -8-


89 Ohio St.3d 323, 329
, (2000), quoting Drope v. Missouri, 
420 U.S. 162, 171
 (1975).

Thus, due process requires that a criminal defendant who is legally incompetent may not

be tried. State v. Thomas, 
2002-Ohio-6624, ¶ 36
.

       {¶ 20} “A defendant is presumed to be competent to stand trial.” R.C. 2945.37(G).

However, the trial court, prosecutor, or defense counsel “may raise the issue of the

defendant's competence to stand trial.” R.C. 2945.37(B). R.C. 2945.37 requires a

competency hearing if a request is made before trial. But “[i]f the issue is raised after the

trial has commenced, the court shall hold a hearing on the issue only for good cause

shown or on the court's own motion.”        R.C. 2945.37(B).     Thus, “the decision as to

whether to hold a competency hearing once trial has commenced is in the court's

discretion.” State v. Rahman, 
23 Ohio St.3d 146, 156
 (1986).

       {¶ 21} Even assuming that defense counsel’s statement constituted a request for

a competency hearing, we find no abuse of discretion by the trial court in denying a

hearing. The trial court addressed the issue stating that it had observed Wells during “a

number of pretrial hearings” and during the course of the trial and noting that Wells had

been taking notes during trial which he shared with his counsel. The court stated that

nothing in Wells’s demeanor, behavior, or actions indicated that he had been unable to

participate in his defense.

       {¶ 22} At oral argument, Wells suggested that the trial court should have “stayed

the trial and ordered an expedited hearing.” However, Wells did not request a stay,

continuance, or recess. Further, we note that the matter was raised approximately two

hours before the defense rested its case. During that time, no attempt was made to
                                                                                       -9-


procure supporting documentation that Wells actually was receiving Social Security

disability benefits.

       {¶ 23} The record is devoid of any, let alone sufficient, indicia of incompetency

before and during trial that might have compelled the trial court to order a competency

evaluation. As noted by the trial court, Well’s demeanor at trial did not suggest any

competency issues. The record does not indicate any irrational behavior during court

proceedings. Further, although Wells claimed he was receiving disability for “mental

retardation,” he did not attempt to provide supporting documentation such as medical

records or Social Security pay stubs. In short, the record lacks any objective support for

Wells’s suggestion of incompetency.

       {¶ 24} The trial court had the opportunity to see and interact with Wells, and it

observed no indication of incompetency. We cannot conclude that the trial court abused

its discretion in not ordering a competency evaluation and conducting a competency

hearing under the circumstances presented. The second assignment of error is overruled.



                           IV.    Sufficiency and Manifest Weight

       {¶ 25} The third assignment of error is as follows:

               THE     DEFENDANT’S       TWO      (2)   DOMESTIC       VIOLENCE

       CONVICTIONS; FELONIOUS ASSAULT CONVICTION; TAMPERING

       WITH EVIDENCE CONVICTION AND WEAPONS UNDER DISABILITY

       ARE BASED ON INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE AND ARE AGAIST [SIC] THE

       MANIFEST WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE AND THUS SHOULD BE
                                                                                          -10-


       REVERSED.

       {¶ 26} Under this assignment of error, Wells challenges all his convictions as being

unsupported by the evidence, except for trespass into a habitation.

       {¶ 27} “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. Marshall, 
2010-Ohio-5160
, ¶ 52

(2d Dist.), quoting State v. Jenks, 
61 Ohio St.3d 259
 (1991), paragraph two of the

syllabus. The relevant inquiry is whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most

favorable to the State, any rational trier of fact could have found the crime's essential

elements proven beyond a reasonable doubt. 
Id.

       {¶ 28} When we review whether a conviction was against the manifest weight of

the evidence, “[t]he court, reviewing the entire record, weighs the evidence and all

reasonable inferences, considers the credibility of the witnesses and determines whether

in resolving conflicts in the evidence, the jury clearly lost its way and created such a

manifest miscarriage of justice that the conviction must be reversed and a new trial

ordered.” State v. Thompkins, 
78 Ohio St.3d 380, 387
 (1997), quoting State v. Martin,

20 Ohio App.3d 172, 175
 (1st Dist.1983). A conviction should not be reversed as being

against the manifest weight of the evidence except “ ‘in the exceptional case in which the

evidence weighs heavily against the conviction.’ ” 
Id.

       {¶ 29} Further, because the trier of fact sees and hears the witnesses at trial, we

must defer to the factfinder's decisions whether, and to what extent, to credit the testimony
                                                                                               -11-


of particular witnesses. State v. Lawson, 
1997 WL 476684
, *4 (2d Dist.). Accordingly,

the credibility of the witnesses and the weight to be given to their testimony are matters

for the trier of fact to resolve. State v. Hammad, 
2014-Ohio-3638, ¶ 13
 (2d Dist.). The

jury, as the fact-finder, “is free to believe all, some, or none of the testimony of each

witness appearing before it.” State v. Ellis, 
2013-Ohio-1184, ¶ 18
 (8th Dist.). “This court

will not substitute its judgment for that of the trier of facts on the issue of witness credibility

unless it is patently apparent that the factfinder lost its way.” (Citation omitted.) State v.

Bradley, 
1997 WL 691510
, *4 (2d Dist.).

       {¶ 30} Finally, “[a]lthough sufficiency and manifest weight are different legal

concepts, manifest weight may subsume sufficiency in conducting the analysis; that is, a

finding that a conviction is supported by the manifest weight of the evidence necessarily

includes a finding of sufficiency.” (Citations omitted.) State v. McCrary, 
2011-Ohio-3161
,

¶ 11 (10th Dist.). As a result, a determination that a conviction is supported by the weight

of the evidence will also be dispositive of sufficiency. State v. Farra, 
2022-Ohio-1421, ¶ 50
 (2d Dist.).

       {¶ 31} Wells was charged with two counts of domestic violence in violation of R.C.

2919.25(A) which states, “[n]o person shall knowingly cause or attempt to cause physical

harm to a family or household member.” “Physical harm” is defined as “any injury,

illness, or other physiological impairment, regardless of its gravity or duration.” R.C.

2901.01(A)(3). A person acts knowingly when “regardless of purpose, . . . 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
                                                                                         -12-


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.” R.C. 2901.22(B).

       {¶ 32} The first charged incident of domestic violence occurred when the victim hid

Wells’s gun. As set forth above, the victim testified to Wells’s actions which, at the very

least, constituted an attempt to cause physical harm. The State offered corroborating

evidence that the victim’s minor child called 911 to report the incident. Sheriff’s deputies

testified that they responded to the scene and overheard a man threaten to kill someone.

One deputy testified that he remembered the victim had an abrasion and bruising on one

leg. The jury observed the victim and the deputies and chose to give credence to their

testimony. On this record, we cannot say the jury lost its way in finding Wells committed

the offense of domestic violence in regard to this incident.

       {¶ 33} The second offense of domestic violence and the felonious assault (which

were merged) arose from the same conduct. R.C. 2903.11 proscribes felonious assault

and states: “[n]o person shall knowingly . . . [c]ause or attempt to cause physical harm to

another . . . by means of a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance.”

       {¶ 34} Well first asserts that this conviction should be reversed because the State

failed to demonstrate that the victim had suffered serious physical harm. However, the

relevant statutes do not require a showing of serious physical harm. Instead, they merely

require a showing that he caused or attempted to cause physical harm to the victim. The

victim testified that she suffered a temporary loss of hearing after the gun was fired
                                                                                         -13-


because the bullet traveled close enough to her ear to burn the hair in that area. This

clearly satisfied the physical harm component of the statute.

       {¶ 35} Wells next asserts that the State did not prove he had knowingly fired the

gun at the victim. In support, he argues that it was “improbable” that he had aimed at --

but missed -- the victim, given that she was seated “3.22 feet from the firearm[.]” This

argument ignores the victim’s testimony that she had heard Wells move the slide on the

gun and had begun to move at the same time he fired the gun. Thus, the jury could have

reasonably inferred that Wells had aimed at the victim but she moved out of the path of

Wells’s aim. Therefore, we cannot find that the jury lost its way in concluding that the

State proved the offense of felonious assault.

       {¶ 36} Next, Wells was convicted of having a weapon under disability as

proscribed by R.C. 2923.13. That statute states, in pertinent part: “[u]nless relieved from

disability under operation of law or legal process, no person shall knowingly acquire,

have, carry, or use any firearm or dangerous ordnance, if . . . the person has been

convicted of any felony offense of violence[.]”

       {¶ 37} Wells’s entire argument regarding this conviction states: “[as] to the firearm

under disability charge other than the complainant’s statement Mr. Wells’s [sic] had a

firearm is not supported by the physical evidence. The fun [sic] was never found.”

       {¶ 38} Wells does not dispute that there was evidence he had previously been

convicted of a felony offense of violence. Instead, he contends there was no evidence,

other than the testimony of the victim, that he had a gun in his possession.

       {¶ 39} Based upon the record before us, we cannot say that the jury lost its way in
                                                                                               -14-


convicting Wells of this offense. The State presented competent, credible evidence that,

during a jailhouse call involving Wells, his mother, and the victim, Wells admitted to

possession of a firearm. Further, the victim testified that Wells had possessed and used

a firearm during the commission of the offense.            The jury was free to believe this

testimony, and we cannot say that the victim’s testimony was inherently incredible.

       {¶ 40} Finally, Wells was convicted of tampering with evidence in violation of R.C.

2921.12(A)(1). That statute provides: “[n]o person, knowing that an official proceeding

or investigation is in progress, or is about to be or likely to be instituted, shall . . . [a]lter,

destroy, conceal, or remove any record, document, or thing, with purpose to impair its

value or availability as evidence in such proceeding or investigation[.]”

       {¶ 41} During the jailhouse call mentioned above, Wells told the victim that he had

hidden his gun under a mattress by a dumpster located at a Rent-A-Center store by the

Speedway after the victim fled the Speedway in her van. The jury could have reasonably

inferred that Wells had attempted to conceal the gun because he thought the victim might

report his actions to the police. Thus, the record supported this conviction.

       {¶ 42} Because there was competent, credible evidence going to the elements of

each offense of which Wells was convicted, Wells’s convictions were supported by

sufficient evidence and were not against the manifest weight of the evidence. The third

assignment of error is overruled.



                                          V.      Sentencing

       {¶ 43} Wells’s fourth assignment of error states:
                                                                                           -15-


              THE      SENTENCES          AND      SENTNECING           [SIC]    ARE

       DISPROPOTIONATE [SIC] TO THE CONVICTIONS.

       {¶ 44} Wells’s argument in support of this assignment of error states, in its entirety,

that “[t]he sentence handed down by the court of 15 [sic] to 22 years is disproportionate

and should be reversed and revised.”

       {¶ 45} When reviewing felony sentences, we apply the standard of review set forth

in R.C. 2953.08(G). State v. Marcum, 
2016-Ohio-1002, ¶ 7
.            Under that statute, an

appellate court may increase, reduce, or modify a sentence, or it may vacate the sentence

and remand for resentencing, only if it clearly and convincingly finds either: (1) the record

does not support the sentencing court's findings under certain enumerated statutes

(including R.C. 2929.14(C)(4), which addresses consecutive sentences); or (2) the

sentence is otherwise contrary to law. Id. at ¶ 9, citing R.C. 2953.08(G)(2).

       {¶ 46} R.C. 2953.08(G)(2)(b) “does not provide a basis for an appellate court to

modify or vacate a sentence based on its view that the sentence is not supported by the

record under R.C. 2929.11 and 2929.12.”          State v. Jones, 
2020-Ohio-6729, ¶ 39
.

“When reviewing felony sentences that are imposed solely after considering the factors

in R.C. 2929.11 and R.C. 2929.12, we do not analyze whether those sentences are

unsupported by the record.” State v. McDaniel, 
2021-Ohio-1519, ¶ 11
 (2d Dist.), citing

State v. Dorsey, 
2021-Ohio-76, ¶ 18
 (2d Dist.). Instead, “[w]e simply must determine

whether those sentences are contrary to law.” 
Dorsey at ¶ 18
. “A sentence is contrary

to law when it does not fall within the statutory range for the offense or if the trial court

fails to consider the purposes and principles of felony sentencing set forth in R.C. 2929.11
                                                                                        -16-


and the sentencing factors set forth in R.C. 2929.12.”       (Citation omitted.)   State v.

Brown, 
2017-Ohio-8416, ¶ 74
 (2d Dist.).

       {¶ 47} There is no dispute that the sentences were within the statutory range for

each offense. Further, the record affirmatively demonstrates that the trial court complied

with its obligation to consider the statutory policies that apply to every felony offense,

including those set out in R.C. 2929.11 and R.C. 2929.12.              Thus, the record

demonstrates that the individual sentences were not contrary to law.

       {¶ 48} Although not expressly challenged in Wells’s assignment of error, we

consider whether the trial court erred in imposing consecutive sentences. A trial court

may impose consecutive sentences under R.C. 2929.14(C)(4) if it finds that: (1)

consecutive service is necessary to protect the public from future crime or to punish the

offender; (2) consecutive sentences are not disproportionate to the seriousness of the

offender's conduct and to the danger the offender poses to the public; and (3) one or more

of the following three findings is satisfied:

       (a) The offender committed one or more of the multiple offenses while the

       offender was awaiting trial or sentencing, was under a sanction imposed

       pursuant to section 2929.16, 2929.17, or 2929.18 of the Revised Code, or

       was under post-release control for a prior offense.

       (b) At least two of the multiple offenses were committed as part of one or

       more courses of conduct, and the harm caused by two or more of the

       multiple offenses so committed was so great or unusual that no single

       prison term for any of the offenses committed as part of any of the courses
                                                                                            -17-


       of conduct adequately reflects the seriousness of the offender's conduct.

       (c) The offender's history of criminal conduct demonstrates that consecutive

       sentences are necessary to protect the public from future crime by the

       offender.

R.C. 2929.14(C)(4)(a)-(c).

       {¶ 49} “[W]here a trial court properly makes the findings mandated by R.C.

2929.14(C)(4), an appellate court may not reverse the trial court's imposition of

consecutive sentences unless it first clearly and convincingly finds that the record does

not support the trial court's findings.”    State v. Withrow, 
2016-Ohio-2884
 (2d Dist.).

Under R.C. 2953.08(F), the “record” includes, among other things, any presentence or

other report submitted to the trial court, the trial record in the case, and any oral or written

statements made by or submitted to the trial court at the sentencing hearing. The clear-

and-convincing standard requires “a firm belief or conviction as to the facts sought to be

established.” Cross v. Ledford, 
161 Ohio St. 469
 (1954), paragraph three of the syllabus.

       {¶ 50} There is no dispute that the trial court made the requisite findings for

consecutive sentences. Further, Wells’s brief does nothing to establish that the record

clearly and convincingly does not support consecutive sentences. The record shows

that Wells had a juvenile adjudication for an offense that would have constituted domestic

violence had he been an adult.        The trial court also noted that Wells had 15 prior

convictions as an adult, six of which were offenses of violence, and that he had not

responded to sanctions. The court also noted that Wells showed no remorse. Indeed,

the trial court permitted Wells to speak at sentencing, and Wells spent considerable time
                                                                                        -18-


(14 pages out of a 36-page transcript) denying responsibility for his offenses and accusing

the victim of making false allegations against him. Based upon the record before us, we

conclude that Wells failed to meet his burden in challenging the imposition of consecutive

sentences.

       {¶ 51} From our review of the record, we cannot conclude that the trial court erred

in sentencing. The fourth assignment of error is overruled.



                                       VI.    Conclusion

       {¶ 52} All of Wells’s assignments of error being overruled, the judgments of the

trial court is affirmed.

                                     .............



WELBAUM, J. and LEWIS, J., concur.

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