State v. Bloodworth , 2013 Ohio 248 ( 2013 )

[Cite as State v. Bloodworth, 2013-Ohio-248.]
STATE OF OHIO ) IN THE COURT OF APPEALS
)ss: NINTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT
COUNTY OF SUMMIT )
STATE OF OHIO C.A. No. 26346
Appellee
v. APPEAL FROM JUDGMENT
ENTERED IN THE
PHILLIP J. BLOODWORTH COURT OF COMMON PLEAS
COUNTY OF SUMMIT, OHIO
Appellant CASE No. CR 11 12 3424 (A)
DECISION AND JOURNAL ENTRY
Dated: January 30, 2013
BROGAN, Judge.
INTRODUCTION
{¶1} The Grand Jury indicted Phillip Bloodworth on two counts of aggravated robbery
and two counts of having weapons while under disability along with two firearm specifications.
Before trial, Mr. Bloodworth waived his right to counsel. A jury found him guilty of the
offenses and specifications, and the trial court sentenced him to 20 years in prison. Mr.
Bloodworth has appealed, assigning as error that the court incorrectly refused to appoint standby
counsel, failed to inquire into his mental competency, and failed to properly advise him of the
dangers of proceedings pro se. He has also assigned as error that the evidence was not sufficient
to support his convictions for having weapons under disability or for the firearm specifications.
We affirm because the trial court was not required to appoint standby counsel, it did not have
reason to question Mr. Bloodworth’s competence, it correctly accepted his waiver of counsel,
and there was sufficient evidence to support Mr. Bloodworth’s convictions.
2
STANDBY COUNSEL
{¶2} Mr. Bloodworth’s first assignment of error is that the trial court incorrectly
refused to appoint standby counsel after he exercised his right to proceed pro se. We note that in
the trial court, Mr. Bloodworth did not indicate any interest in having standby counsel appointed
when the possibility of having standby counsel was briefly discussed. Instead, he told the court:
“I don’t need a standby attorney.” According to Mr. Bloodworth, in State v. Martin, 103 Ohio
St.3d 385, 2004-Ohio-5471, the Ohio Supreme Court “recognized the right of a defendant that
has elected to proceed pro se with the assistance of standby counsel.” See id. at paragraph one of
the syllabus. The first paragraph of the syllabus in Martin was that “[i]n Ohio, a criminal
defendant has the right to representation by counsel or to proceed pro se [with] the assistance of
standby counsel. However, these two rights are independent of each other and may not be
asserted simultaneously.” In Martin, the Grand Jury indicted Kyle Martin for several
felonies. When Mr. Martin’s lawyer withdrew, Mr. Martin moved to represent himself with the
assistance of counsel. Following several hearings, the trial court decided to allow Mr. Martin to
proceed pro se, but appointed a lawyer to sit with him during the trial in case he needed advice.
A jury convicted Mr. Martin of kidnapping, but the Eighth District Court of Appeals reversed,
concluding that the trial court had not adequately advised him about the perils of self-
representation. Martin, 2004-Ohio-5471 at ¶ 20. The State appealed its decision to the Ohio
Supreme Court.
{¶3} The Supreme Court noted that a defendant has a constitutional right to counsel
and a constitutional right to defend himself. Martin, 2004-Ohio-5471 at ¶ 24. It explained that,
after a defendant waives his right to counsel, “trial courts are permitted to appoint standby
counsel to assist the otherwise pro se defendant.” Id. at ¶ 28. It held, however, that there is no
3
constitutional right to hybrid representation. Id. at ¶ 32. Regarding the facts of the case, the
Court determined that the trial court had not adequately warned Mr. Martin about the risks of
self-representation before requiring him to conduct most of his defense without an attorney. Id.
at ¶ 37. It, therefore, upheld the Eighth District’s decision to remand the case for a new trial. Id.
at ¶ 45.
{¶4} Although the Ohio Supreme Court wrote in Martin that “a criminal defendant has
the right . . . to proceed pro se with the assistance of standby counsel[,]” its statement must be
read in context. Martin, 2004-Ohio-5471 at ¶ 32. Theoretically, a criminal defendant can
proceed at trial four ways: with counsel, without counsel, without counsel but with a standby
attorney, or hybrid representation. In Faretta v. California, 422 U.S. 806 (1975), the United
States Supreme Court explained that, if a defendant elects to proceed without counsel, “a State
may—even over objection by the accused—appoint a ‘standby counsel’ to aid the accused if and
when the accused requests help, and to be available to represent the accused in the event that
termination of the defendant’s self-representation is necessary.” Id. at 834 n.46. In McKaskle v.
Wiggins, 465 U.S. 168 (1984), it held that a defendant’s right to self-representation is not
infringed just because standby counsel provides unsolicited advice during the trial. Id. at 176-77.
From those cases we can discern that, although a defendant has a right to represent himself, a
court may still require standby counsel. Accordingly, when the Ohio Supreme Court wrote in
Martin that a defendant has the right “to proceed pro se with the assistance of standby counsel,”
it was acknowledging in part that a defendant does not have a truly unconditional right to appear
by himself at trial. Although in its syllabus it stated that a defendant does have the right to self-
representation with the assistance of standby counsel, the Court was not declaring that a trial
court must appoint standby counsel whenever the defendant waives his right to counsel.
4
{¶5} In this case Mr. Bloodworth did not request or express any interest in having
standby counsel. Instead, he suggests that the appointment of standby counsel was mandatory.
Applying Mr. Bloodworth’s interpretation of Martin, however, would make the Supreme Court’s
opinion internally inconsistent. In paragraph 28, the Court wrote that “[o]nce the right to counsel
is properly waived, trial courts are permitted to appoint standby counsel to assist the otherwise
pro se defendant.” Martin, 2004-Ohio-5471 at ¶ 28. If a court is required to appoint standby
counsel whenever a defendant waives his right to counsel, it would make no sense for the Court
to write that a trial court is “permitted” to appoint standby counsel in such instances. Id. We,
therefore, agree with the Second and Eighth Districts that “a pro se defendant does not enjoy an
absolute right to standby counsel.” State v. Gatewood, 2d Dist. No. 2008 CA 64, 2009-Ohio-
5610, ¶ 46; State v. Washington, 8th Dist. Nos. 96565, 96568, 2012-Ohio-1531, ¶ 9-10. Mr.
Bloodworth’s first assignment of error is overruled.
MENTAL COMPETENCE
{¶6} Mr. Bloodworth’s second assignment of error is that the trial court failed to hold a
hearing regarding whether he was competent to stand trial. He has noted that he told the court
that he suffered from mental illness and was taking “various powerful and potentially mind-
altering drugs.” He has also argued that he displayed confusion during the proceedings, which
should have caused the court to examine his competence to stand trial. The Ohio Supreme Court
has held that “[a]n evidentiary competency hearing is constitutionally required whenever there
are sufficient indicia of incompetency to call into doubt defendant’s competency to stand trial.”
State v. Were, 94 Ohio St.3d 173, paragraph two of the syllabus (2002).
{¶7} At a hearing on Mr. Bloodworth’s request to proceed without counsel, Mr.
Bloodworth disclosed that he was in a mental health unit at the jail because he had been
5
diagnosed as having a bipolar disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Mr.
Bloodworth told the court that he was taking an anti-depressant, an anti-psychotic, and a mood
stabilizer in order to control the conditions. When the court asked Mr. Bloodworth whether he
would be able to represent himself given his biochemical problems, Mr. Bloodworth responded
“[a]bsolutely, without question.”
{¶8} According to Mr. Bloodworth, the lawyer who the court initially appointed to
represent him was the same lawyer who had represented him in a prior case. We note that she
did not express any concerns about Mr. Bloodworth’s competence to stand trial before moving to
withdraw at Mr. Bloodworth’s request, even though she would have been familiar with Mr.
Bloodworth from her prior representation of him.
{¶9} Mr. Bloodworth has argued that the record demonstrates that he was affected by
his mental disorders during the proceedings. He notes that on separate occasions he asked the
trial court to identify the prosecutor, asked if the wrong individual was the prosecutor, and asked
if the prosecutor was present in the courtroom when he clearly was not. Mr. Bloodworth has
argued that the capacity to identify the prosecutor is a basic task necessary to present a defense.
He has argued that his inability to recognize the prosecutor was indicative of his lack of
competence and was a significant obstacle to presenting his own defense.
{¶10} At one of Mr. Bloodworth’s pretrial hearings, he asked about the identity of the
prosecutor. The exchange reveals that Mr. Bloodworth was not confused about the individual’s
role in the proceeding, but was merely attempting to learn the prosecutor’s name. A month later,
Mr. Bloodworth asked at the beginning of another pretrial hearing whether a particular individual
was the prosecutor. Several different prosecutors had represented the State at previous hearings,
so it is not surprising that Mr. Bloodworth made an effort to identify who the prosecutor was at
6
that hearing. It turns out that the prosecutor was not in the courtroom at the time. Although the
fact that it did not occur to Mr. Bloodworth that the prosecutor might be late for a hearing and
that the court would start a hearing without the prosecutor present suggests that Mr. Bloodworth
may have had some unfamiliarity with the court system, it does not indicate that he was not
competent to stand trial. Upon review of the record, we conclude that it does not contain indicia
of incompetency that called into doubt Mr. Bloodworth’s competence to stand trial. The trial
court, therefore, did not err when it failed to hold a competency hearing. Mr. Bloodworth’s
second assignment of error is overruled.
WAIVER OF COUNSEL
{¶11} Mr. Bloodworth’s third assignment of error is that his waiver of his right to
counsel was not knowing, intelligent, and voluntary because the trial court failed to properly
advise him of the dangers of proceeding pro se. Under Rule 44(A) of the Ohio Rules of Criminal
Procedure, if a defendant who is charged with a serious offense is unable to obtain counsel, the
court shall assign him a lawyer “unless the defendant, after being fully advised of his right to
assigned counsel, knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily waives his right to counsel.” “In
order to establish an effective waiver of right to counsel, the trial court must make sufficient
inquiry to determine whether defendant fully understands and intelligently relinquishes that
right.” State v. Gibson, 45 Ohio St.2d 366, paragraph two of the syllabus (1976). “In verifying
that a waiver of counsel is made knowingly, voluntarily, and intelligently, a trial court must
make a sufficient inquiry to determine whether the defendant was advised of the dangers and
disadvantages of self-representation.” State v. Hunter, 9th Dist. No. 10CA009903, 2012-Ohio-
1121, ¶ 14; see Faretta v. California, 422 U.S. 806, 835 (1975) (“Although a defendant need not
himself have the skill and experience of a lawyer in order competently and intelligently to
7
choose self-representation, he should be made aware of the dangers and disadvantages of self-
representation . . . .”). This is because, “[w]hen an accused manages his own defense, he
relinquishes, as a purely factual matter, many of the traditional benefits associated with the right
to counsel.” Faretta, 422 U.S. at 835.
{¶12} In determining whether the defendant intelligently relinquished his right to
counsel, this Court reviews the totality of the circumstances. State v. Holmes, 9th Dist. No.
25847, 2012-Ohio-565, ¶ 7. “While no one factor is dispositive, the trial court should consider
whether the defendant was advised of the nature of the charges and the range of allowable
punishments, and, in addition, may consider whether the trial court advised the defendant of the
possible defenses to the charges and applicable mitigating circumstances.” State v. Trikilis, 9th
Dist. Nos. 04CA0096-M, 04CA0097-M, 2005-Ohio-4266, ¶ 13. The trial court, however, does
not need to “undertake pseudo-legal representation of a defendant by specifically advising him of
possible viable defenses or mitigating circumstances,” and, instead “a broader discussion of
defenses and mitigating circumstances as applicable to the pending charges is sufficient.” State
v. Ragle, 9th Dist. No. 22137, 2005–Ohio–590, ¶ 12; Trikilis, 2005-Ohio-4266 at ¶ 13. “A court
may also consider various other factors, including the defendant’s age, education, and legal
experience.” Trikilis, 2005-Ohio-4266 at ¶ 13.
{¶13} Mr. Bloodworth has argued that the trial court “failed to properly advise him of
the nature of the Felonious Assault charges against him . . . .” Mr. Bloodworth, however, was
not indicted for felonious assault. He has also argued that the court failed to review the elements
of aggravated robbery with him, but a court does not have to tell a defendant the elements of a
crime to adequately advise him of the nature of charges. State v. McGraw, 8th Dist. No. 96606,
2012-Ohio-3247, ¶ 10 (citing State v. Swift, 86 Ohio App.3d 407 (11th Dist. 1993)). In this case,
8
the court asked Mr. Bloodworth to “[t]ell me about the charges against you now. Not the facts,
tell me about the charges.” Mr. Bloodworth replied: “I’m charged now with two counts of
aggravated robbery[.]” The court next asked him whether he knew what the potential penalties
were for aggravated robbery. Mr. Bloodworth responded: “Three to ten years.” Although the
court corrected Mr. Bloodworth by informing him that the penalty had been changed to “three to
eleven” years, the exchange demonstrates that Mr. Bloodworth was well-informed about the
nature of the aggravated robbery charges.
{¶14} Mr. Bloodworth has also argued that the trial court failed to advise him about
possible defenses. Before accepting his written waiver of his right to counsel, the court advised
Mr. Bloodworth that, although he did not know the facts of the case, some of the possible
defenses to the charges were that it was not him, that he was not present, that he did not have a
car, or that he did not have a firearm. The court, therefore, correctly engaged in the “broader
discussion of defenses and mitigating circumstances” that are applicable to a charge of
aggravated robbery. Trikilis, 2005-Ohio-4266 at ¶ 13.
{¶15} It appears from the trial court’s exchange with Mr. Bloodworth that Mr.
Bloodworth had a good sense of the charges and penalties he faced as well as some of the
defenses he could assert. Mr. Bloodworth also had experience representing himself in three
other criminal cases. Upon consideration of the totality of the circumstances, we conclude that
Mr. Bloodworth knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily waived his right to counsel. His third
assignment of error is overruled.
SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
{¶16} Mr. Bloodworth’s fourth assignment of error is that the evidence was insufficient
to support his convictions for having weapons under disability and for the firearm specifications.
9
Whether a conviction is supported by sufficient evidence is a question of law that this Court
reviews de novo. State v. Thompkins, 78 Ohio St.3d 380, 386 (1997); State v. West, 9th Dist. No.
04CA008554, 2005-Ohio-990, ¶ 33. We must determine whether, viewing the evidence in a
light most favorable to the prosecution, it could have convinced the average finder of fact of Mr.
Bloodworth’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Jenks, 61 Ohio St.3d 259, paragraph two
of the syllabus (1991).
{¶17} In order to unlawfully have weapons under disability under Section 2923.13(A) of
the Ohio Revised Code, a person who is under disability must “knowingly acquire, have, carry,
or use any firearm or dangerous ordnance[.]” Similarly, in order to be sentenced on a firearm
specification, the offender must have “had a firearm on or about the offender’s person or under
the offender’s control while committing the offense and displayed the firearm, brandished the
firearm, indicated that the offender possessed the firearm, or used it to facilitate the offense.”
R.C. 2941.14.5(A). Under Section 2923.11(B)(1), “‘[f]irearm’ means any deadly weapon
capable of expelling or propelling one or more projectiles by the action of an explosive or
combustible propellant.” The definition “includes an unloaded firearm, and any firearm that is
inoperable but that can readily be rendered operable.” R.C. 2923.11(B)(1).
{¶18} Mr. Bloodworth has argued that the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable
doubt that he possessed a firearm during the robberies. He has noted that the police did not
recover any guns during their investigation. He has also noted that there was no evidence of any
gunshots, bullets, or bullet holes that would have indicated that the alleged gun was operable.
He has also argued that the witnesses’ testimony does not establish that he had a gun or, even if
he did, that the gun was operable.
10
{¶19} Tiffany Rodhe testified that she was taking a break behind the sandwich shop
where she worked when Mr. Bloodworth approached and tried to grab her. She said that Mr.
Bloodworth had an object in his hand that she was “almost 100 percent positive . . . was a gun”
because it was black, metallic, and shone in the light. Ms. Rodhe’s coworker, Ryan Young,
testified that, after Ms. Rodhe ran into the shop, he went to the back door to investigate. He said
that Mr. Bloodworth punched him and knocked him to the ground then pressed something “cold
and round” against the back of his neck. Mr. Bloodworth dragged him to the registers and told
the others to “just give me the money and I will not shoot him. Just give me the money and I
will not shoot him.” The manager of the store also testified that he saw Mr. Bloodworth put
something to the back of Mr. Young’s head and that it “looked like some sort of gun-shaped
object.” We conclude that the witnesses’ observations along with Mr. Bloodworth’s statements
were sufficient circumstantial evidence for the jury to find that Mr. Bloodworth possessed a
firearm during the robbery of the sandwich shop.
{¶20} A couple of days after the sandwich-shop robbery, Mr. Bloodworth attempted to
rob a credit union. According to the manager of the credit union, Mr. Bloodworth and another
man entered it shortly after it opened “with guns[.]” She said that when one of her coworkers
saw the guns, the coworker put her hands up in the air, which is not how the coworker normally
walks around. The State also submitted a surveillance video from the robbery which clearly
depicts one of the robbers pointing and aiming a gun. We, therefore, conclude that there was
sufficient evidence that Mr. Bloodworth had a firearm during the robbery of the credit union.
{¶21} Regarding whether the guns were operable, we “evaluate the evidence of a
firearm’s operability by examining the totality of the circumstances.” State v. Ware, 9th Dist.
No. 22919, 2006-Ohio-2693, ¶ 13 (quoting State v. McElrath, 114 Ohio App.3d 516, 519
11
(1996)). We note that Section 2923.11(B)(2) provides that, “[w]hen determining whether a
firearm is capable of expelling or propelling one or more projectiles by the action of an explosive
or combustible propellant, the trier of fact may rely upon circumstantial evidence, including, but
not limited to, the representations and actions of the individual exercising control over the
firearm.”
{¶22} During the sandwich shop robbery, Mr. Bloodworth told the employees that, if
they gave him the shop’s money, he would not shoot Mr. Young. Mr. Bloodworth’s statement
implied that his gun was operable. During the credit-union robbery, one of the robbers raised his
gun and pointed it as if he was about to fire it. This Court has “a long precedent of finding
operability sufficiently established, even though a weapon is not recovered, when one brandishes
a gun in a threatening manner and the victim testifies to the threat and describes the gun.” Ware,
2006-Ohio-2693, at ¶ 13. Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution,
we conclude that the evidence is sufficient to convince an average fact finder beyond a
reasonable doubt that Mr. Bloodworth possessed a weapon while under disability and that he
used an operable gun in the commission of the two aggravated robberies. His fourth assignment
of error is overruled.
CONCLUSION
{¶23} The trial court was not required to appoint Mr. Bloodworth standby counsel, it did
not err when it failed to hold a competency hearing, the court correctly accepted Mr.
Bloodworth’s waiver of counsel, and there was sufficient evidence to support his convictions.
The judgment of the Summit County Common Pleas Court is affirmed.
Judgment affirmed.
12
There were reasonable grounds for this appeal.
We order that a special mandate issue out of this Court, directing the Court of Common
Pleas, County of Summit, State of Ohio, to carry this judgment into execution. A certified copy
of this journal entry shall constitute the mandate, pursuant to App.R. 27.
Immediately upon the filing hereof, this document shall constitute the journal entry of
judgment, and it shall be file stamped by the Clerk of the Court of Appeals at which time the
period for review shall begin to run. App.R. 22(C). The Clerk of the Court of Appeals is
instructed to mail a notice of entry of this judgment to the parties and to make a notation of the
mailing in the docket, pursuant to App.R. 30.
Costs taxed to Appellant.
JAMES BROGAN
FOR THE COURT
MOORE, P. J.
BELFANCE, J.
CONCUR.
(Brogan, J., retired, of the Second District Court of Appeals, sitting by assignment pursuant to
§6(C), Article IV, Constitution.)
APPEARANCES:
NICHOLAS J. HORRIGAN, Attorney at Law, for Appellant.
SHERRI BEVAN WALSH, Prosecuting Attorney, and HEAVEN DIMARTINO, Assistant
Prosecuting Attorney, for Appellee.