Brooklyn v. Woods ( 2016 )


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  • [Cite as Brooklyn v. Woods, 
    2016-Ohio-1223
    .]
    Court of Appeals of Ohio
    EIGHTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
    COUNTY OF CUYAHOGA
    JOURNAL ENTRY AND OPINION
    No. 103120
    CITY OF BROOKLYN
    PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE
    vs.
    WILLIAM WOODS
    DEFENDANT-APPELLANT
    JUDGMENT:
    AFFIRMED
    Criminal Appeal from the
    Parma Municipal Court
    Case No. 14CRB03624
    BEFORE: E.T. Gallagher, J., E.A. Gallagher, P.J., and Blackmon, J.
    RELEASED AND JOURNALIZED: March 24, 2016
    ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT
    Richard Agopian
    1415 West Ninth Street
    2nd Floor
    Cleveland, Ohio 44113
    ATTORNEY FOR APPELLEE
    Hillary Goldberg
    Brooklyn City Prosecutor
    7619 Memphis Avenue
    Brooklyn, Ohio 44144
    EILEEN T. GALLAGHER, J.:
    {¶1} Defendant-appellant, William Woods (“Woods”), appeals from his petty theft
    conviction following a bench trial in the Parma Municipal Court. He raises the following
    six assignments of error for review:
    1. The appellant was denied his right to counsel as guaranteed to him by
    the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and Article I, Section 10 of
    the Ohio Constitution.
    2. The appellant failed to receive effective assistance of counsel during the
    trial as guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment, and the Ohio Constitution.
    3. The appellant’s convictions are against the manifest weight of the
    evidence.
    4. The evidence was insufficient to convict the appellant of theft.
    5. The appellant was denied due process of law and a fair trial as
    guaranteed to him by the Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the U.S.
    Constitution when the trial court failed to grant a five minute recess to
    allow him to obtain demonstrative evidence to proffer as an exhibit; Article
    I, Section 10 of the Ohio Constitution.
    6. The appellant was denied due process of law, a fair trial, the right to be
    present during a critical stage of the trial, his right to confront evidence
    against him, and his right to a public trial in violation of the Fifth, Sixth,
    and Fourteenth Amendments; and Article I, Sections 10 and 16 of the Ohio
    Constitution.
    {¶2} After careful review of the record and relevant case law, we affirm Woods’s
    petty theft conviction.
    I. Procedural and Factual History
    {¶3} Woods was charged with petty theft in violation of R.C. 2913.02. The
    matter proceeded to a bench trial in the Parma Municipal Court where the following facts
    were adduced.
    {¶4} In June 2014, Woods entered a Walmart store located in the city of Brooklyn,
    Ohio. Walmart asset protection specialists, Shawn Foster (“Foster”) and Celso Dela
    Cruz (“Cruz”), testified that they observed Woods enter the store’s electronics department
    and place a $99.96 TV wall mount, and a $17.96 electronic accessory into his shopping
    cart. Woods then left the electronics department and traveled to a grocery aisle located
    on the other side of the store. While he was in the grocery aisle, Foster and Cruz
    followed behind Woods at a safe distance and witnessed him peel off the Universal
    Product Code (“UPC”) sticker from the less expensive electronic accessory and place it
    over the UPC sticker located on the TV wall mount box. According to Cruz, Woods
    “left the [electronic accessory box] behind” and proceeded to the check out line. At that
    time, the Walmart cashier scanned the UPC sticker located on the TV wall mount box,
    and Woods paid $17.96 for the TV wall mount.
    {¶5} Once Foster and Cruz verified with the cashier that Woods only paid $17.96
    for the TV wall mount, they stopped him in the vestibule area of the store after he passed
    the last point of sale. Following a brief conversation, Woods was escorted to Walmart’s
    asset protection office where Woods “admitted to switching the [price] tags” on the two
    items.
    {¶6} Foster and Cruz admitted that Walmart’s security cameras did not capture
    Woods switch the UPC stickers on video. Cruz explained that although Walmart has
    “between 200 and 300” security cameras throughout the store, the cameras are in “fixed”
    positions. Cruz testified that, based on these limitations, the security camera located near
    the grocery aisle where Woods switched the UPC stickers did not have a sufficient
    camera angle to observe Woods’s criminal activity. During the cross-examination of
    Cruz, defense counsel attempted to play the surveillance footage taken of Woods while he
    was in the electronics department of the store. However, because the prosecutor was
    unable to view the video before trial because of technological difficulties, the parties
    agreed to mark the video as “heard and submitted” and admitted it into evidence as “Joint
    Exhibit A.”
    {¶7} Defense counsel rested without presenting any witnesses.
    {¶8} At the conclusion of trial, the trial court found Woods guilty of petty theft.
    The court imposed a $250 fine and sentenced Woods to 180 days in jail with credit for
    time served.
    {¶9} Woods now appeals from his conviction.
    II. Law and Analysis
    {¶10} For the purposes of judicial clarity, we review several of Woods’s
    assignments of error out of order.
    A. Constitutional Rights
    {¶11} In his first assignment of error, Woods argues the trial court’s decision to
    review the security video outside defense counsel’s presence deprived him of his right to
    counsel as guaranteed to him by the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and
    Article I, Section 10 of the Ohio Constitution.
    {¶12} In his sixth assignment of error, Woods argues the trial court’s decision to
    review the security video without him present denied him due process of law, a fair trial,
    the right to be present during a critical stage of the trial, his right to confront evidence
    against him, and his right to a public trial in violation of the Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth
    Amendments of the U.S. Constitution and Article I, Sections 10 and 16 of the Ohio
    Constitution.
    {¶13} Because Woods’s first and sixth assignments of error raise related
    arguments, we address them together.
    {¶14} The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I,
    Section 10 of the Ohio Constitution guarantee the right to counsel at all critical stages of a
    criminal proceeding. State v. Schleiger, 
    141 Ohio St.3d 67
    , 
    2014-Ohio-3970
    , 
    21 N.E.3d 1033
    , ¶ 13; Iowa v. Tovar, 
    541 U.S. 77
    , 80-81, 
    124 S.Ct. 1379
    , 
    158 L.Ed.2d 209
     (2004)
    (“[t]he Sixth Amendment safeguards to an accused who faces incarceration the right to
    counsel at all critical stages of the criminal process”).       “[I]n addition to counsel’s
    presence at trial, the accused is guaranteed that he need not stand alone against the state at
    any stage of the prosecution, formal or informal, in court or out, where counsel’s absence
    might derogate from the accused’s right to a fair trial.” (Footnote omitted.) United
    States v. Wade, 
    388 U.S. 218
    , 226, 
    87 S.Ct. 1926
    , 
    18 L.Ed.2d 1149
     (1967).
    {¶15} Similarly, one of most basic rights reserved by the Confrontation Clause of
    the Sixth Amendment is a defendant’s correlative right to be present in the courtroom
    during every stage of the trial. Illinois v. Allen, 
    397 U.S. 337
    , 338, 
    90 S.Ct. 1057
    , 
    25 L.Ed.2d 353
     (1970). Section 10, Article I of the Ohio Constitution and Crim.R. 43(A)
    also require the defendant’s presence.       State v. McCollins, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No.
    95486, 
    2011-Ohio-2398
    , ¶ 7, citing Crim.R. 43(A) and the Ohio Constitution, Article I,
    Section 10. “[T]he presence of a defendant is a condition of due process to the extent
    that a fair and just hearing would be thwarted by his absence, and to that extent only.”
    Snyder v. Massachusetts, 
    291 U.S. 97
    , 107-108, 
    54 S.Ct. 330
    , 
    78 L.Ed. 674
     (1934),
    overruled on other grounds, Duncan v. Louisiana, 
    391 U.S. 145
    , 
    88 S.Ct. 1444
    , 
    20 L.Ed.2d 491
     (1968).
    {¶16} The right to a public trial is guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment to the
    United States Constitution and by Section 10, Article I of the Ohio Constitution. State v.
    Bethel, 
    110 Ohio St.3d 416
    , 
    2006-Ohio-4853
    , 
    854 N.E.2d 150
    , ¶ 81. The violation of
    the right to a public trial is a structural error and is not subject to harmless error analysis.
    State v. Drummond, 
    111 Ohio St.3d 14
    , 
    2006-Ohio-5084
    , 
    854 N.E.2d 1038
    , ¶ 50, citing
    Waller v. Georgia, 
    467 U.S. 39
    , 49-50, 
    104 S.Ct. 2210
    , 
    81 L. Ed.2d 31
     (1984), fn. 9.
    Before discussing structural error, however, an appellate court must first find that a
    constitutional error has occurred. State v. Conway, 
    108 Ohio St.3d 214
    , 
    2006-Ohio-791
    ,
    
    842 N.E.2d 996
    , ¶ 55.
    {¶17} Collectively, Woods argues the trial court violated the foregoing
    constitutional guarantees by (1) failing to play the surveillance video in open court, and
    (2) viewing the surveillance video outside of his presence and the presence of counsel.
    Woods maintains that the surveillance video was critical to his defense and that the trial
    court’s actions deprived him of a fair trial.
    {¶18} At the trial, defense counsel argued that Woods never placed an electronic
    accessory into his shopping cart as suggested by Foster and Cruz. In furtherance of this
    theory, defense counsel attempted to rebut Cruz’s testimony that he observed Woods
    place the TV wall mount, and an electronic accessory into his shopping cart, by
    suggesting that Walmart’s surveillance video only showed Woods place the TV wall
    mount into his cart before he left the electronics department.   Relevant to the arguments
    raised in his first and sixth assignments of error, the following exchange took place
    during defense counsel’s cross-examination of Cruz:
    DEFENSE COUNSEL: And does the [surveillance] video show my client selecting one
    item or two?
    CRUZ: Two.
    DEFENSE COUNSEL: Your Honor, if we could show the video.
    THE COURT: Do we have it?
    PROSECUTOR: Your Honor, I actually went over this with him and we spoke prior to
    court and I couldn’t play it, I’ve never seen the video, you saw the video and you said it
    doesn’t show anything and I can’t get it to play so we can give it to her and let her play it
    and do a heard and submitted if you want but I have absolutely no way of getting my
    computer —
    DEFENSE COUNSEL: It doesn’t play on a PC, or it doesn’t play on a MAC, it would
    play on a PC.
    PROSECUTOR: I don’t have it and I’m not bringing it in so if he has a way to show it,
    it’s his Exhibit.
    THE COURT:       Do we have the actual, do we have the video here?
    DEFENSE COUNSEL: I have a copy.
    THE COURT: So why don’t we continue with the testimony and then I will, we will do
    a heard and submitted — [Defense counsel] I would love to see that video.
    PROSECUTOR: Your Honor, we can do both but this is the one that chain of custody
    — but you can give yours too.
    THE COURT: Let me take both of them okay and that way I can look at both of them
    and then make my decision after I see this.
    DEFENSE COUNSEL: That’s fine.
    THE COURT: Perfect. Thank you. Should we call it Joint Exhibit?
    DEFENSE COUNSEL: That’s fine Your Honor.
    THE COURT: Okay then I will[.]
    {¶19} In light of the forgoing exchange, we find the trial court did not violate
    Woods’s constitutional rights by reviewing the surveillance video outside the presence of
    Woods or his counsel. While the decision not to play the video during trial may not
    have been the preferred practice, technological difficulties in this case led to the parties’
    agreement to mark the video as “heard and submitted” and introduce it into evidence as
    “Joint Exhibit A.” Thus, the exhibit was submitted to the court, as the trier of fact, for
    consideration during its deliberations.    Under these circumstances, we are unable to
    conclude that the time in which the trial court reviewed the video qualified as a “critical
    stage” of the proceedings. See State v. Dovala, 9th Dist. Lorain No. 05CA008767,
    
    2007-Ohio-4914
     (finding no constitutional violations where the trial court, rather than
    playing a videotape during trial, ordered the state to mark it as an exhibit and gave the
    tape directly to the jury during deliberations.); People v. Young, 
    996 N.E.2d 671
    (Ill.App.2013), ¶ 24 (“the court’s watching and listening to the DVDs was not a ‘critical
    stage’ of defendant’s trial.”); State v. Pacelli, 
    350 P.3d 1138
    , 2015 Kan.App. Unpub.
    LEXIS 477, * 22 (Kan.App.2015) (“the [trier of fact]’s review of the trial exhibit was not
    a critical stage of the proceeding at which [defendant] had a constitutional right to be
    present personally or through counsel.”).   See also Rothgery v. Gillespie Cty., Texas, 
    554 U.S. 191
    , 212, 
    128 S.Ct. 2578
    , 
    171 L.Ed.2d 366
     (2008), fn. 16 (noting that “critical
    stages” include proceedings between an individual and agents of the state that amount to
    trial-like confrontations at which counsel would help the accused in coping with legal
    problems or meeting the adversary.).
    {¶20} In this case, Woods was present and represented by counsel during all
    critical stages of the proceedings, including the portion of trial where defense counsel
    relied on the surveillance video to suggest Foster and Cruz’s testimony was unreliable.
    The extent to which counsel utilized the video during the trial is more adequately
    addressed in a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, as argued in Woods’s second
    assignment of error.
    {¶21} Moreover, although the surveillance video was not shown in open court, the
    parties marked it as an exhibit thereby making it a public record available for public
    viewing. Dovala at ¶ 12, citing Drummond, 
    111 Ohio St.3d 14
    , 
    2006-Ohio-5084
    , 
    854 N.E.2d 1038
    , at ¶ 55.       Accordingly, the trial court’s recommendation to admit the
    surveillance video into evidence without playing it in open court was not a constitutional
    error.    Id. at ¶ 13.
    {¶22} Woods’s first and sixth assignments of error are overruled.
    B. Sufficiency and Manifest Weight of the Evidence
    {¶23} In his third and fourth assignments of error, Woods argues his conviction
    was not supported by sufficient evidence and was against the manifest weight of the
    evidence.
    {¶24} 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.        The 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.
    State v. Thompkins, 
    78 Ohio St.3d 380
    , 386, 
    678 N.E.2d 541
     (1997).
    {¶25} In contrast to a challenge based on sufficiency of the evidence, a manifest
    weight challenge attacks the credibility of the evidence presented and questions whether
    the state met its burden of persuasion rather than production.   State v. Whitsett, 8th Dist.
    Cuyahoga No. 101182, 
    2014-Ohio-4933
    , ¶ 26, citing Thompkins, at 387. This court
    reviews the entire record, weighs the evidence and all reasonable inferences, considers
    the witnesses’ credibility and determines 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, citing State
    v. Martin, 
    20 Ohio App.3d 172
    , 175, 
    485 N.E.2d 717
     (1st Dist.1983).
    {¶26} In conducting such a review, this court remains mindful that the credibility
    of the witnesses is primarily for the trier of fact to assess. State v. Bradley, 8th Dist.
    Cuyahoga No. 97333, 
    2012-Ohio-2765
    , ¶ 14, citing State v. DeHass, 
    10 Ohio St.2d 230
    ,
    
    227 N.E.2d 212
     (1967), paragraph one of the syllabus. Reversal on manifest weight
    grounds is reserved for the “‘exceptional case in which the evidence weighs heavily
    against the conviction.’” Thompkins at 387, quoting Martin at 175.
    {¶27} In this case, Woods was convicted of petty theft in violation of R.C.
    2913.02(A)(1), which states, in relevant part:
    No person, with purpose to deprive the owner of property or services, shall
    knowingly obtain or exert control over either the property or services in any
    of the following ways: * * * (3) by deception.
    {¶28} In challenging the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his conviction,
    Woods contends the trial court’s finding of guilt improperly “piggybacked” inferences
    and relied on speculation. In short, Woods argues the trial court inferred his guilt merely
    because he purchased the TV wall mount at a reduced price, without sufficient evidence
    that he altered the UPC sticker on the TV wall mount box. We disagree.
    {¶29} In this case, the state presented the testimony of two Walmart asset
    protection specialists who testified that they observed Woods remove the UPC sticker
    from a less expensive electronic accessory and place it over the UPC sticker located on
    the TV wall mount box.
    {¶30} Specifically, Foster testified that he observed Woods place the TV wall
    mount, valued at $99.97, and an electronic accessory, valued at $17.96, into his shopping
    cart.   Foster followed Woods as he left the electronic department and traveled to a
    grocery aisle where Woods “switched the tags for the wall mount and the cheaper
    electronics accessory.”   When Woods checked out, Foster “confirmed that [Woods] did
    pay a smaller amount for the wall mount than was advertised” before he and Cruz stopped
    Woods after he “passed the last point of sale.”   In addition, Foster testified that once he
    was escorted to the store’s loss prevention office, Woods “admitted to switching the
    stickers” on the two items.
    {¶31} Similarly, Cruz testified that Woods placed a TV wall mount and a cheaper
    electronic accessory into his shopping cart. Cruz then observed Woods make his way to
    the grocery aisle where he “took the cheaper label and put it on the, over the UPC of the
    expensive [TV wall mount], and left the cheaper [electronic accessory] behind.”       Once
    Woods purchased the items in his shopping cart, Cruz confirmed with the store cashier
    that Woods paid $17.96 for a TV wall mount priced at $99.96.                Based on this
    information and his prior observations, Cruz stopped Woods once he passed the last point
    of sale and escorted him to the store’s loss prevention office. Cruz testified that Woods
    admitted to “switching the UPCs or the stickers” on the two items.
    {¶32} Viewing this evidence in a light most favorable to the prosecution, we find
    there was sufficient evidence for the trial court to find all the material elements of the
    offense beyond a reasonable doubt.      In our view, the testimony presented at trial did not
    require the trial court to stack inferences or rely on speculation.   Instead, the prosecution
    presented credible evidence that Woods knowingly deceived Walmart by switching UPC
    stickers on its property to obtain a TV wall mount for a lesser amount than it was actually
    priced.     See Middleburg Hts. v. Feltes, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 81776, 
    2003-Ohio-3248
    .
    Accordingly, Woods’s petty theft conviction is supported by sufficient evidence.
    {¶33} In challenging the weight of the evidence supporting his conviction, Woods
    contends that Foster’s and Cruz’s testimony contain numerous inconsistencies and
    deficiencies that cast doubt on whether their recollection of the incident was credible.
    Woods identifies the following inconsistencies or deficiencies in their testimony (1)
    Foster’s varied testimony relating to whether he witnessed Woods discard the electronic
    accessory box in the grocery aisle; (2) Cruz’s initial testimony that he did not see what
    happened to the electronic accessory box, but subsequent testimony that he saw Woods
    leave the box behind; (3) Foster’s testimony that Woods had two bottles of soda in his
    shopping cart when he entered the electronics department while the surveillance video
    shows his cart was empty; (4) the fact that neither Foster or Cruz testified that Woods
    selected a 24-pack of water while he was in the grocery aisle, thereby creating an
    “inference that the two witnesses obviously weren’t there at the [grocery] aisle, or paying
    close attention to Woods as they claimed”; (5) the size and location of the UPC label on
    the TV wall mount box; and (6) Cruz’s confusing testimony concerning whether Woods’s
    admission to the theft occurred in the asset protection office, the vestibule area of the
    store, or in both locations.
    {¶34} In addition, Woods argues that portions of Foster’s and Cruz’s testimony are
    rebutted by the surveillance footage taken of Woods while he was in the electronics
    department. As stated, Foster and Cruz testified that they observed Woods place the TV
    wall mount and the electronic accessory into his shopping cart before he left the
    electronics department.        In contrast, Woods maintains that the surveillance video only
    shows him place the TV wall mount into his shopping cart. Thus, Woods maintains that
    the surveillance video supports his position that he (1) never picked up an electronic
    accessory while he was in the store, (2) did not switch the price tag on the TV wall
    mount, and (3) had no knowledge that the TV wall mount contained an incorrect price tag
    at the time he purchased the item.
    {¶35} We are mindful that a conviction is not against the manifest weight of the
    evidence solely because the jury heard inconsistent or contradictory testimony. State v.
    Wade, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 90029, 
    2008-Ohio-4574
    , ¶ 38, citing State v. Asberry, 10th
    Dist. Franklin No. 04AP-1113, 
    2005-Ohio-4547
    , ¶ 11. The decision whether, and to
    what extent, to believe the testimony of a particular witness is “within the peculiar
    competence of the factfinder, who has seen and heard the witness.” State v. Johnson,
    8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 99822, 
    2014-Ohio-494
    , ¶ 54.
    {¶36} After careful consideration of the challenged testimony, we find this is not
    the exceptional case in which the evidence weighs heavily against the conviction.           In
    rendering its verdict, the trial court stated that it carefully considered all of the evidence,
    including the surveillance video and the testimony provided by Foster and Cruz. The
    record reflects that defense counsel spent a considerable amount of time cross-examining
    Cruz and Foster on the perceived inconsistences relied upon by Woods in this assignment
    of error.   In our view, the challenged portions of the witnesses’ testimony reflected their
    vague recollection of certain details of the incident.   They do not, however, cast serious
    doubt on Foster and Cruz’s testimony that they observed Woods remove the UPC sticker
    from the less expensive electronic accessory and place it over the UPC sticker located on
    the TV wall mount.
    {¶37} Moreover, with respect to Woods’s argument that the surveillance video
    contradicts Foster’s and Cruz’s testimony, we note that this court has reviewed the
    relevant surveillance footage and find that it is not definitive given the limitations of the
    camera angle.    The relevant surveillance footage, labeled “Clip_2,” depicts the rear aisle
    of the electronics department in Walmart. At approximately 5:56:10 p.m., the video
    shows Woods examining the different models of TV wall mounts located on the back
    shelf of the store.      His shopping cart appears to be empty at that time.                At
    approximately 5:57:10 p.m., Woods, with his back to the camera, picks up a large box and
    places it in his shopping cart. At 5:58:30 p.m., Woods briefly walks down a second
    electronic aisle that runs perpendicular to the aisle where the TV wall mounts are located.
    Given the position of the security camera, Woods disappears from the video for
    approximately ten seconds while he is in the second electronic aisle.              When he
    reappears, it is unclear, given the quality of the video footage, whether the electronic
    accessory is or is not in Woods’s shopping cart when he exits the electronics department
    of the store.   Given the limitations of the surveillance video, we defer to the trial court’s
    resolution of the alleged inconsistencies between the video footage and the testimony
    provided by Foster and Cruz.
    {¶38} Based on our review of the entire record in this case, weighing the strength
    and credibility of the evidence presented and the inferences to be reasonably drawn
    therefrom, we are unable to conclude that the trier of fact clearly lost its way and created
    such a manifest miscarriage of justice that Woods’s petty theft conviction must be
    reversed and a new trial ordered.
    {¶39} Woods’s third and fourth assignments of error are overruled.
    C. The Trial Court’s Denial of Defense Counsel’s
    Request for a Recess
    {¶40} In his fifth assignment of error, Woods argues he was denied due process of
    law and a fair trial when the trial court denied defense counsel’s request for a brief recess
    in the midst of trial.
    {¶41} The decision whether to grant a continuance is within the “broad, sound
    discretion” of the trial court and will not be reversed absent an abuse of discretion. In re
    S.C., 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No.102350, 
    2015-Ohio-2410
    , ¶ 23.            An abuse of discretion
    occurs where the trial court acted unreasonably, arbitrarily, or unconscionably.
    Blakemore v. Blakemore, 
    5 Ohio St.3d 217
    , 219, 
    450 N.E.2d 1140
     (1983).
    {¶42} In State v. Unger, 
    67 Ohio St.2d 65
    , 
    423 N.E.2d 1078
     (1981), the Ohio
    Supreme Court identified certain factors to be considered in determining whether a
    continuance is appropriate.   These factors include:
    the length of the delay requested; whether other continuances have been
    requested and received; the inconvenience to litigants, witnesses, opposing
    counsel and the court; whether the requested delay is for legitimate reasons
    or whether it is dilatory, purposeful, or contrived; whether the defendant
    contributed to the circumstance which gives rise to the request for a
    continuance; and other relevant factors, depending on the unique facts of
    each case.
    Id. at 67-68.
    {¶43} In this case, defense counsel requested a five-minute recess so that Woods
    could retrieve demonstrative evidence from his vehicle.      Defense counsel indicated that
    the demonstrative evidence included “the very items that are alleged to have been stolen.”
    Counsel clarified that the items were not the original items actually involved in the
    incident, but were “similar” and could assist the court in rendering its verdict.
    {¶44} In this instance, Woods clearly contributed to the circumstance that led to
    the requested recess by leaving the items in his vehicle.     Moreover, the trial court was
    aware that the items intended to be introduced as demonstrative evidence were not the
    original boxes involved in the incident.   Under these circumstances, the court was free to
    conclude that the probative value of demonstrative evidence, including the size of the
    boxes or location of the UPC stickers, would have been, at the very most, cumulative to
    the photograph of the original TV wall mount box, marked exhibit D, and the testimony
    provided at trial. Woods has not articulated a basis to suggest otherwise.
    {¶45} Accordingly, the trial court did not abuse its discretion by denying the
    requested recess. Further, there is nothing in the record to suggest that Woods was
    denied due process of law or the right to a fair trial without the use of the demonstrative
    evidence.
    {¶46} Woods’s fifth assignment of error is overruled.
    D.    Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
    {¶47} In his second assignment of error, Woods argues he received ineffective
    assistance of counsel.   The test for ineffective assistance of counsel requires a defendant
    to prove “(1) that counsel’s performance was deficient, and (2) that the deficient
    performance prejudiced the defendant.” Strickland v. Washington, 
    466 U.S. 668
    , 687,
    
    104 S.Ct. 2052
    , 
    80 L.Ed.2d 674
     (1984). In reviewing a claim of ineffective assistance of
    counsel, we examine whether counsel’s acts or omissions “were outside the wide range of
    professionally competent assistance” and “recognize that counsel is strongly presumed to
    have rendered adequate assistance and made all significant decisions in the exercise of
    reasonable professional judgment.” 
    Id. at 690
    .       To establish the second element, the
    defendant must demonstrate that there is a “reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s
    unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different.” 
    Id. at 694
    .   “The benchmark for judging any claim of ineffectiveness must be whether
    counsel’s conduct so undermined the proper functioning of the adversarial process that
    the trial cannot be relied on as having produced a just result.” 
    Id. at 686
    .
    1. Introduction of Evidence Allegedly Not Provided
    to Defense Counsel During Discovery
    {¶48} Initially, Woods argues defense counsel rendered ineffective assistance of
    counsel by failing to request sanctions or seek a continuance when the prosecutor
    introduced evidence that had not been provided to defense counsel during discovery.
    {¶49} During Cruz’s direct examination, the prosecutor attempted to introduce the
    receipt for purchases made by Woods on the day of the incident.       At that point, defense
    counsel informed the trial court that he did not receive the document prior to trial:
    PROSECUTOR: And I’m going to show you —
    DEFENSE COUNSEL: For what purpose?               I mean that was never shown to me.
    PROSECUTOR: It was in the same packet of everything else you have.
    DEFENSE COUNSEL: No you only gave me the two photos that we discussed in the
    e-mail.
    PROSECUTOR: You have the Walmart, I gave you that.
    DEFENSE COUNSEL: You gave me what?
    PROSECUTOR: The receipt.
    DEFENSE COUNSEL: Yes that was not in there.
    PROSECUTOR: It’s fine I don’t need to.
    {¶50} Shortly thereafter, the prosecutor attempted to introduce testimony from Cruz that Woods
    had admitted to “switching the tags.” Again, defense counsel objected to the testimony, noting that
    while he stipulated to Woods’s “admission to the theft,” he had not received information relating to the
    “switching of tags,” either by way of summary of the statement from Cruz or a statement made by
    Woods:
    PROSECUTOR: And did you have any discussions with Mr. Woods about the theft?
    CRUZ: Yes
    PROSECUTOR: Or the switching of tags?
    CRUZ: Yes I did.
    DEFENSE COUNSEL: Objection
    THE COURT: Hold please.
    DEFENSE COUNSEL: First of all any discussions relating to specifically the switching
    of tags were never revealed to me Your Honor. Anything beyond this is news to me if
    my client —
    PROSECUTOR: I’m just going on what the report — I’m sorry Your Honor if that’s
    not news to him it’s in the report that he says where it says the Defendant admitted, so
    that’s all, I mean, we’re just going back, I mean that’s part of what he said he did.
    THE COURT: The first witness testified to the same thing?
    DEFENSE COUNSEL: Just to the admission of the theft, that’s it. I’ll stipulate —
    PROSECUTOR: That’s what he did.
    DEFENSE COUNSEL: — there was an admission to the theft but that was it.
    {¶51} Woods contends that because the receipt and a summary of the admission to “switching
    the tags” were not provided to defense counsel during the discovery process, defense counsel “should
    have asked that the evidence be excluded, or that a reasonable continuance be granted in order to
    evaluate the impact of this [new] information.”
    {¶52} Woods correctly states that Crim.R. 16 requires the prosecution to disclose
    any evidence “favorable to the defendant and material to guilt or punishment.”      Crim.R.
    16(B)(5). Under Crim.R. 16(L)(1), if it is brought to the attention of the trial court that a
    party has failed to comply with this discovery rule, the trial court may order or permit the
    discovery, order a continuance, prohibit the party from introducing the material not
    disclosed, or make any other order it deems just under the circumstances. State v.
    Miller, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 100461, 
    2014-Ohio-3907
    , ¶ 66.
    {¶53} With respect to the prosecutor’s attempt to introduce the original receipt of
    Woods’s purchases, the record reflects that defense counsel raised a timely objection that
    ultimately caused the prosecutor to forego its attempt to introduce the receipt and move
    forward with its line of questioning.       Thus, we are unable to conclude that defense
    counsel’s successful objection constituted a deficient performance.    Furthermore, Woods
    has not demonstrated how he was prejudiced by counsel’s failure to request sanctions or a
    continuance pursuant to Crim.R. 16(L)(1), particularly where the challenged exhibit was
    not introduced into evidence, and there was ample testimony relating to the retail value of
    Walmart’s property and the amount Woods actually paid for the TV wall mount.
    {¶54} Moreover, the testimony presented at trial indicated that Cruz’s incident
    report, which defense counsel utilized during his cross-examination of Cruz, contained a
    written statement by Cruz that Woods “admitted to the theft.” While Woods attempts to
    make a distinction between the phrases, “admitted to the theft” and “admitted to
    switching tags,” we find that defense counsel was provided with sufficient notice of the
    admission during the discovery process and that Cruz was permitted to expand upon the
    written statements contained in his incident report.     Thus, any request to exclude the
    portions of Cruz’s testimony relating to the admissions made to him by Woods would
    have proven unsuccessful.      Accordingly, we are unable to conclude that counsel’s
    performance fell below an objective standard of reasonableness.
    2. Failure to Bring Demonstrative Evidence into the Courtroom
    {¶55} As discussed in his fifth assignment of error, Woods argues defense counsel
    was ineffective for failing to ensure that the demonstrative evidence was available at trial.
    Without addressing the admissibility of the demonstrative evidence, we find there is
    nothing in the record to suggest, nor does Woods allege, that the outcome of trial would
    have been different had the demonstrative evidence been introduced at trial.
    Accordingly, Woods was not prejudiced by defense counsel’s failure to ensure that the
    demonstrative evidence was available at trial.
    3. Failure to use the Surveillance Video to Cross-Examine Witnesses
    {¶56} Finally, Woods argues defense counsel was ineffective for failing to use the
    surveillance video during the cross-examination of Foster and Cruz.
    {¶57} After careful consideration of the relevant testimony and the surveillance
    video, we find Woods was not prejudiced by defense counsel’s failure to use the video
    during cross-examination.     We note that defense counsel attempted to use the video
    during the cross-examination of Cruz, but was prevented from doing so due to
    technological difficulties.   Nevertheless, the video was submitted to the trier of fact as a
    joint exhibit, and defense counsel actively argued throughout the remainder of trial that
    the contents of the video contradicted Foster’s and Cruz’s testimony and thereby called
    their credibility into question. Moreover, the court expressly stated that it considered the
    video in reaching its verdict.
    {¶58} Under these circumstances, Woods has not shown how the outcome of the
    trial would have been different had counsel used the surveillance video during its
    cross-examination of the City’s witnesses.
    {¶59} Woods’s second assignment of error is overruled.
    III. Conclusion
    {¶60} Woods’s petty theft conviction was supported by sufficient evidence and
    was not against the manifest weight of the evidence. Woods did not receive ineffective
    assistance of counsel during his trial. The trial court did not abuse its discretion by
    denying defense counsel’s request for a brief recess so that Woods could retrieve
    demonstrative evidence from his vehicle. Finally, the trial court did not violate Woods’s
    constitutional rights by failing to play the surveillance video in open court or by
    reviewing the video outside the presence of Woods and his counsel.
    {¶61} Judgment affirmed.
    It is ordered that appellee recover from appellant costs herein taxed.
    The court finds there were reasonable grounds for this appeal.
    It is ordered that a special mandate issue out of this court directing the Parma
    Municipal Court to carry this judgment into execution. The defendant’s conviction
    having been affirmed, any bail pending appeal is terminated. Case remanded to the trial
    court for execution of sentence.
    A certified copy of this entry shall constitute the mandate pursuant to Rule 27 of
    the Rules of Appellate Procedure.
    EILEEN T. GALLAGHER, JUDGE
    EILEEN A. GALLAGHER, P.J., and
    PATRICIA ANN BLACKMON, J., CONCUR