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IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO STATE OF OHIO, Case No. 2007-0923 Plaintiff-Appellee, On Appeal from the Licking County Court of Appeals, V. Fifth Appellate District HAROLD T. BIESER, Court of Appeals Case No. 06 CA 00045 Defendant-Appellant. MEMORANDUM OF DEFENDANT-APPELLANT HAROLD T. BIESER IN SUPPORT OF JURISDICTION Tricia M. Klockner (0077414) John J. Kulewicz (0008376) Assistant Law Director (Counsel of Record) City of Newark Alexandra T. Schimmer (0075732) 40 West Main Street Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP Newark, Ohio 43055 52 East Gay Street (740) 349-6663 P.O. Box 1008 Columbus, Ohio 43216-1008 Attorney for Plaintiff-Appellee (614) 464-5634 State of Ohio (614) 719-4812 (Facsimile) [email protected] [email protected] Attorneys for Defendant-Appellant Harold T. Bieser JUN A 1 IOQY MARCIA J. MENGEL; CLERK SUPREME COURT OF OHIO TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I. THIS CASE INVOLVES A SUBSTANTIAL CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTION AND RAISES QUESTIONS OF PUBLIC OR GREAT GENERAL INTEREST .............1 II. STATEMENT OF THE CASE AND FACTS . ...................................................................4 III. ARGUMENT IN SUPPORT OF PROPOSITIONS OF LAW ...........................................7 PROPOSITION OF LAW NO. 1: The rule announced in State v. Broughton (1991), 62 Ohio St.3d 253, 581 N.E. 2d 541 -- that speedy-trial time ordinarily stops running in the interim between a nolle prosequi dismissal and refiling of the same charges -- does not apply where the defendant was not notified of the dismissal and the bond was retained after dismissal ...........................................................7 PROPOSITION OF LAW NO. 2: The State violates the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution, as well as Section 10, Article I, of the Ohio Constitution and the Ohio Speedy Trial Act (R.C. 2945.71) when it fails to bring a defendant charged with a first-degree misdemeanor to trial within ninety days of the original charge, in the absence of any justification for either tolling or enlarging the speedy-trial period . ........................................................................9 PROPOSITION OF LAW NO. 3: The requirements of R.C. 2941.33, Ohio Crim. R. 48(A) and Ohio Crim. R. 49 that nolle prosequi dismissals take place only "in open court," upon a judicial fmding of "good cause" and with service on all parties prohibit exparte dismissals and render them invalid for tolling speedy-trial time under the Speedy Trial Act ........................................................................................10 PROPOSITION OF LAW NO. 4: Where a defective traffic complaint could have been amended pursuant to Ohio Traffic Rule I 1(H) and Ohio Crim R. 7(D) rather than dismissed, dismissal of the complaint does not toll the speedy-trial period .............. l l CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................12 CERTIFICATE OF SERV ICE ......................................................................................................13 i TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Page CASES Douglas v. Allen (1897), 56 Ohio St. 156, 46 N.E. 707 ..................................................................4 Klopfer v. North Carolina (1967), 386 U.S. 213, 87 S.Ct. 988, 18 L.Ed.2d 1 ................................9 Lakewood v. Pfeifer (1992), 83 Ohio App.3d 47, 613 N.E.2d 1079 ...............................................4 State v. Bonarrigo (1980), 62 Ohio St.2d 7, 402 N.E.2d 530 .....................................................1, 7 State v. Broughton (1991), 62 Ohio St.3d 253, 581 N.E.2d 541 ............................................passim State v. Butcher (1986), 27 Ohio St.3d 28, 30-31, 500 N.E.2d 1368 ............................................11 State v. Ladd (1978), 56 Ohio St.2d 197, 383 N.E.2d 579 ..............................................................9 State v. Monroe (June 14, 2000), Pike App. No. 99CA632, 2000 WL 807228 ..................2, 10, 11 State v. Pachay (1980), 64 Ohio St. 2d 218, 221, 416 N.E.2d 589 ...........................................9, 11 State v. Parker, 113 Ohio St. 3d 207, 2007-Ohio-1534, 863 N.E.2d 1032 ...................................11 State v. Singer (1977), 50 Ohio St.2d 103, 362 N.E.2d 1216 ........................................................11 State v. Watkins, 99 Ohio St. 3d 12, 2003-Ohio-2419, 788 N.E.2d 635 ....................................... 12 U.S. v. MacDonald (1982), 456 U.S. 1, 102 S.Ct. 1497, 71 L.Ed.2d 696 ...................................8, 9 Wenzel v. Enright (1993), 68 Ohio St.3d 63, 623 N.E.2d 69 .. ........................................................8 STATUTES Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.11(A) .........................................................................................................4 Ohio Rev. Code § 2941.33 ....................................................................................................3, 5, 10 Ohio Rev. Code § 2945.71 ..........................................................................................................2, 9 Ohio Rev. Code § 2945.71(B)(2) ............................................................................................4, 6, 9 Ohio Rev. Code § 2945.72 ............................................................................................................11 Ohio Rev. Code § 2945.73(B) .........................................................................................................9 ii Ohio Rev. Code § 2945.75(A)(1) ..................................................................................................12 Ohio Rev. Code § 4511.19(A)(1) ....................................................................................................5 Ohio Rev. Code § 4511.25 ..............................................................................................................5 Ohio Rev. Code §§ 2945.72(A) through (I) ....................................................................................9 RULES Ohio Crim. R. 46(H) ........................................................................................................................8 Ohio Crim. R. 48(A) ..................................................................................................................3, 10 Ohio Crim. R. 49 ....................................................................................................................... 10 Ohio Crim. R. 49(A) ..................................................................................................................3, 10 Ohio Crim. R. 49(C) ..................................................................................................................3, 10 Ohio Crim. R. 7(D) .....................................................................:........................................5, 11, 12 Ohio Traffic Rule 11(H) ......................................................................................................5, 11, 12 Ohio Traffic Rule 2 ........................................................................................................................12 CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS Ohio Constitution, § 10, Article I ....................................................................................................9 Ohio Constitution, § 2(B)(2)(a)(ii), Article IV ................................................................................4 Ohio Constitution, § 2(B)(2)(e), Article IV .....................................................................................4 United States Constitution, Fourteenth Amendment ...................................................................2, 9 United States Constitution, Sixth Amendment ............................................................................2, 9 TREATISES Supreme Court of Ohio, 2006 OHIO COURTS SUMMARY § E , at 70-71 ...........................................3 111 I. THIS CASE INVOLVES A SUBSTANTIAL CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTION AND RAISES QUESTIONS OF PUBLIC OR GREAT GENERAL INTEREST. This case presents important speedy-trial questions. More than ninety days elapsed between the original arrest of Mr. Bieser on O.V.I. and left-of-center charges and his arraignment several months later on refiled charges. In the meantime, unbeknownst to him, the State had dismissed the original charges without notice or refund of the bond. The Licking County Municipal Court ultimately entered a conviction on the renewed O.V. I. charge, but recognized thnt °° > orne9rle-dFgpped_the_ba11 nn ±hie racn somewhere hrtwrPn the fwn prosecutors office [sic] somebody messed up so you may have a speedy trial issue." The Fifth District Court of Appeals affirmed, but likewise noted that "[t]he failure to notify the defendant of the dismissal of the [original] charges against him may warrant further review by the Ohio Supreme Court concerning possible limitation of the law as announced in [State v.] Broughton [(1991), 62 Ohio St.3d 253, 581 N.E.2d 541]." 2007-Ohio-1960, at ¶ 23 n.6. This Court should heed these calls for clarification. In State v. Broughton, the Court held that speedy-trial time stops in the interim between dismissal and refiling of criminal charges, unless the defendant remains in jail or is released on bail. 62 Ohio St. 3d at 259-60. That ruling reflects the psychological and physical liberty that are presumed to exist following a dismissal and prior to the State's decision, if any, to refile charges. Suspension of the speedy-trial count is appropriate under those circumstances,