[Cite as State v. Harrison, 2024-Ohio-884.]
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO
THIRD APPELLATE DISTRICT
LOGAN COUNTY
STATE OF OHIO,
CASE NO. 8-23-10
PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE,
v.
KANDALE L. HARRISON, OPINION
DEFENDANT-APPELLANT.
Appeal from Logan County Common Pleas Court
Trial Court No. CR 20 07 0162
Judgment Affirmed
Date of Decision: March 11, 2024
APPEARANCES:
Alison Boggs for Appellant
Nathan Yohey for Appellee
Case No. 8-23-10
ZIMMERMAN, J.
{¶1} Defendant-appellant, Kandale L. Harrison (“Harrison”), appeals the
April 12, 2023 judgment entry of sentence of the Logan County Court of Common
Pleas. Harrison argues that the trial court erred by denying his motion to suppress
evidence seized incidental to a May 27, 2020 warrantless search of his vehicle
because R.C. 2967.131, the statute under which the warrantless search was
premised, is unconstitutional. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.
{¶2} On July 14, 2020, the Logan County Grand Jury indicted Harrison on
four counts: Count One of possession of a fentanyl-related compound in violation
of R.C. 2925.11(A), (C)(11)(c), a third-degree felony; Counts Two and Three of
possession of cocaine in violation of R.C. 2925.11(A), (C)(4)(a), fifth-degree
felonies; and Count Four of the illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto grounds
of specified governmental facility in violation of R.C. 2921.36(A)(2), (G)(2), a
third-degree felony. Harrison committed the offenses alleged in the indictment
while he was on post-release control in another case. Harrison appeared for
arraignment on July 23, 2020 and entered pleas of not guilty.
{¶3} On November 4, 2020, Harrison filed a motion to suppress evidence
seized incident to searches conducted on May 27, 2020 and July 13, 2020,
respectively.1 Harrison filed a supplement to his motion to suppress on July 16,
1
In a previous case, this court recited much of the factual and procedural background of this case, and we
will not duplicate those efforts here. See State v. Harrison, 3d Dist. Logan No. 8-21-31, 2022-Ohio-741.
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2021 in which he alleged that the May 27, 2020 search of his vehicle was conducted
without a warrant and not pursuant to any exception to the warrant requirement of
the Fourth Amendment. Specifically, Harrison argued that his agreement with the
Adult Parole Authority (“APA”) consenting to warrantless searches was not
voluntary since “that the ‘parole exception search’ does not apply as a matter of law
because [post-release control] is insufficiently a parallel to parole.” (Doc. No. 110).
{¶4} After a hearing on August 25, 2021, the trial court suppressed the
evidence seized incident to the May 27, 2020 search but denied Harrison’s motion
to suppress any evidence seized incident to the July 13, 2020 search. Specifically,
the trial court concluded that APA Officer Alex McKirahan (“Officer McKirahan”)
“did not have reasonable grounds to search [Harrison] or his motor vehicle pursuant
to the warrant search Condition No. 7 of his [post-release-control] supervision.”
(Doc. No. 124). The trial court reasoned that the search of [Harrison’s] vehicle on
May 27, 2020, was not based on probable cause” since Officer Jerrod Hostetler’s
(“Officer Hostetler”) of the Bellefontaine Police Department “calling APA Officer
McKirahan to the scene prolonged the detention of [Harrison] beyond the time
reasonable for completing that mission” and because “Officer Hostetler did not
observe [Harrison] engage in a drug transaction or observe in plain view an drugs
on [Harrison] or in the motor vehicle.” (Id.).
{¶5} On September 27, 2021, the State appealed the trial court’s decision.
On March 14, 2022, this court reversed the trial court’s decision and remanded the
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case for further proceedings after concluding that “APA Officer McKirahan’s verbal
arrest order was justified pursuant to R.C. 2967.15 because he had reasonable cause
to believe [that Harrison violated] the Conditions of Supervision based on facts
relayed that Harrison was observed operating a vehicle with a suspended license in
Bellefontaine and that he was possibly involved in suspected drug activity.” State
v. Harrison, 3d Dist. Logan No. 8-21-31, 2022-Ohio-741, ¶ 14.
{¶6} Following remand of the case to the trial court, Harrison filed a motion
on February 24, 2023 requesting that the trial court address his argument regarding
his “motion to suppress on the alternative grounds [as to the May 27, 2020 search]
raised by the defense.” (Doc. No. 170). As alternative grounds, Harrison alleged
“that R.C. 2967.131, by authorizing a search without a warrant of a person on post-
release control, is unconstitutional” because it required that he—as an individual on
post-release control—involuntarily forfeit his constitutional right to be free from
unreasonable search and seizure. The State filed a memorandum in opposition to
Harrison’s motion on February 28, 2023. Ultimately, the trial court denied
Harrison’s motion to suppress evidence on March 3, 2023 after concluding that R.C.
2967.131(C) is constitutional.
{¶7} On March 2, 2023, Harrison withdrew his pleas of not guilty and
entered pleas of no contest to Counts One and Three of the indictment. In exchange
for Harrison’s change of pleas, the State agreed to dismiss Counts Two and Four.
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The trial court accepted Harrison’s no-contest pleas, found him guilty, and
dismissed Counts Two and Four.
{¶8} On April 12, 2023, the trial court sentenced Harrison to 12 months in
prison on Counts One and Three, respectively, and ordered that he serve the prison
terms concurrently for an aggregate sentence of 12 months in prison. (Doc. No.
176).
{¶9} On May 10, 2023, Harrison filed his notice of appeal and raises one
assignment of error for our review.
Assignment of Error
Ohio Revised Code Section 2967.131 is Unconstitutional As
Applied to Mr. Harrison And Any Other Similarly Situated
Individuals Who Are Placed On Post-Release Control After They
Served Their Entire Prison Sentence.
{¶10} In his assignment of error, Harrison argues that the trial court erred by
denying his motion to suppress evidence seized incident to the May 27, 2020 search.
Specifically, Harrison contends that law enforcement’s May 27, 2020 search of his
vehicle was conducted without a warrant and not pursuant to any exception to the
warrant requirement of the Fourth Amendment because R.C. 2967.131 is
unconstitutional.
Standard of Review
{¶11} A review of the denial of a motion to suppress involves mixed
questions of law and fact. State v. Burnside, 100 Ohio St.3d 152, 2003-Ohio-5372,
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¶ 8. At a suppression hearing, the trial court assumes the role of trier of fact and, as
such, is in the best position to evaluate the evidence and the credibility of witnesses.
Id. See also State v. Carter, 72 Ohio St.3d 545, 552 (1995). When reviewing a
ruling on a motion to suppress, “an appellate court must accept the trial court’s
findings of fact if they are supported by competent, credible evidence.” Burnside at
¶ 8, citing State v. Fanning, 1 Ohio St.3d 19 (1982). With respect to the trial court’s
conclusions of law, however, our standard of review is de novo, and we must
independently determine whether the facts satisfy the applicable legal standard. Id.,
citing State v. McNamara, 124 Ohio App.3d 706 (4th Dist.1997).
Analysis
{¶12} “The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as applied
to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment, and Ohio Constitution, Article I,
Section 14, protects individuals against ‘unreasonable searches and seizures’ by the
government and protects privacy interests where an individual has a reasonable
expectation of privacy.” State v. Fielding, 10th Dist. Franklin Nos. 13AP-654 and
13AP-655, 2014-Ohio-3105, ¶ 15, quoting Smith v. Maryland, 442 U.S. 735, 740,
99 S.Ct. 2577 (1979). When “determining whether a search is reasonable under the
Fourth Amendment, the United States Supreme Court has applied an approach that
assesses ‘“on the one hand, the degree to which it intrudes upon an individual’s
privacy and, on the other, the degree to which it is needed for the promotion of
legitimate governmental interests.”’” State v. Campbell, 170 Ohio St.3d 278, 2022-
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Ohio-3626, ¶ 9, quoting Samson v. California, 547 U.S. 843, 848, 126 S.Ct. 2193
(2006), quoting United States v. Knights, 534 U.S. 112, 119, 122 S.Ct. 587 (2001).
{¶13} “Generally, any evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth
Amendment, as well as any evidence seized subsequent to such violation, must be
suppressed as ‘fruit of the poisonous tree.’” Fielding at ¶ 15, quoting Wong Sun v.
United States, 371 U.S. 471, 488, 83 S.Ct. 407 (1963). See also State v. Jenkins, 3d
Dist. Union No. 14-10-10, 2010-Ohio-5943, ¶ 9 (The Fourth Amendment does not
explicitly provide “that violations of its provisions against unlawful searches and
seizures will result in the suppression of evidence obtained as a result of such
violation, but the United States Supreme Court has held that the exclusion of
evidence is an essential part of the Fourth Amendment.”), citing Mapp v. Ohio, 367
U.S. 643, 649, 81 S.Ct. 1684 (1961) and Weeks v. United States, 232 U.S. 383, 394,
34 S.Ct. 341 (1914).
{¶14} “Subject to specific exceptions, which the State has the burden of
establishing, warrantless searches are unreasonable per se under the Fourth
Amendment.” State v. Atkinson, 9th Dist. Lorain No. 19CA011481, 2020-Ohio-
3522, ¶ 13, citing State v. Roberts, 110 Ohio St.3d 71, 2006-Ohio-3665, ¶ 98.
“Warrantless seizures of personal property are generally considered unreasonable
under the Fourth Amendment unless there is probable cause to believe the property
is or contains contraband or evidence of a crime and the seizure falls within an
established exception to the warrant requirement.” State v. Jackson, 12th Dist.
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Madison No. CA2019-03-006, 2020-Ohio-2677, ¶ 19, citing United States v. Place,
462 U.S. 696, 701, 103 S. Ct. 2637 (1983).
{¶15} In Ohio, R.C. 2967.131 authorizes warrantless searches of individuals
on post-release control. That statute provides, in its relevant part, that
during a period of post-release control of a felon imposed under
section 2967.28 of the Revised Code, authorized field officers of the
authority who are engaged within the scope of their supervisory duties
or responsibilities may search, with or without a warrant, the person
of the individual or felon, the place of residence of the individual or
felon, and a motor vehicle, another item of tangible or intangible
personal property, * * * if the field officers have reasonable grounds
to believe that the individual or felon has left the state, is not abiding
by the law, or otherwise is not complying with the terms and
conditions of the individual’s or felon’s * * * post-release control.
R.C. 2967.131(C) (2000) (current version at R.C. 2967.131(C)(1) (2023)). See State
v. Crandall, 9th Dist. Summit No. 29925, 2021-Ohio-3724, ¶ 7 (noting that R.C.
2967.131 permits a warrantless search of an individual’s property when the
searching officer has reasonable grounds to believe that person is in violation of the
law or his or her post-release control). Importantly, the statute further provides that
the APA
shall provide each individual * * * who is under post-release control
with a written notice that informs the individual or felon that
authorized field officers of the authority who are engaged within the
scope of their supervisory duties or responsibilities may conduct those
types of searches during the period of * * * post-release control if they
have reasonable grounds to believe that the individual or felon has left
the state, is not abiding by the law, or otherwise is not complying with
the terms and conditions of the individual’s or felon’s * * * post-
release control.
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(Emphasis added.) R.C. 2967.131(C) (2000) (current version at R.C.
2967.131(C)(2) (2023)).
{¶16} In this case, Harrison argues that the trial court erred by denying his
motion to suppress evidence seized incident to the May 27, 2020 warrantless search
of his vehicle after concluding that R.C. 2967.131 is constitutional. Specifically,
Harrison contends that “[t]he application of [R.C.] 2967.131 to [him] and other
persons situated like him, on [post-release control], is unconstitutional” because
“lessoning [sic] the constitutional protections of the Fourth Amendment of the
[United States] Constitution and in Ohio, Article I, Section 14 * * * cannot be
justified in any manner when a person is forced to sign away constitutional rights,
without any benefit to the person.” (Emphasis added.) (Appellant’s Brief at 13).
That is, Harrison challenges the constitutionality of the statute because, as he
contends, “an inmate is coerced into signing the conditions, which include forcibly
waiving constitutional rights, or face more prison time without having to have
committed any sort of criminal offense.” (Emphasis added.) (Id. at 11).
{¶17} “‘An enactment of the General Assembly is presumed to be
constitutional, and before a court may declare it unconstitutional it must appear
beyond a reasonable doubt that the legislation and constitutional provisions are
clearly incompatible.’” State v. Brown, 3d Dist. Marion No. 9-10-12, 2010-Ohio-
4546, ¶ 9, quoting State ex rel. Dickman v. Defenbacher, 164 Ohio St. 142 (1955),
paragraph one of the syllabus. “‘That presumption of validity of such legislative
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enactment cannot be overcome unless it appear[s] that there is a clear conflict
between the legislation in question and some particular provision or provisions of
the Constitution.’” Id., quoting Xenia v. Schmidt, 101 Ohio St. 437 (1920),
paragraph two of the syllabus.
{¶18} “A statute may be challenged on constitutional grounds in two ways:
(1) that the statute is unconstitutional on its face, or (2) that it is unconstitutional as
applied to the facts of the case.” Id. at ¶ 10, citing Harrold v. Collier, 107 Ohio
St.3d 44, 2005-Ohio-5334, ¶ 37, citing Belden v. Union Central Life Ins. Co., 143
Ohio St. 329 (1944), paragraph four of the syllabus. “To mount a successful facial
challenge, the party challenging the statute must demonstrate that there is no set of
facts or circumstances under which the statute can be upheld.” Id., citing Harrold
at ¶ 37, citing United States v. Salerno, 481 U.S. 739, 745, 107 S.Ct. 2095 (1987).
“Where it is claimed that a statute is unconstitutional as applied, the challenger must
present clear and convincing evidence of a presently existing set of facts that make
the statute unconstitutional and void when applied to those facts.” Id., citing
Harrold at ¶ 38, citing Belden at paragraph six of the syllabus.
{¶19} Harrison’s constitutional challenge is misplaced. Critically, Harrison
overlooks that the warrantless-search authorization is not controlled by consent.
Rather, the APA’s warrantless-search authorization is prescribed by statute. Indeed,
R.C. 2967.131(C) describes the situations under which a warrantless search may
occur. Moreover, and perhaps more importantly, the statute imparts that such
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“written notice” of the APA’s statutory authorization is to be provided to the
individual. In other words, the APA is not required to obtain the individual’s
consent to be subject to warrantless searches. Instead, the individual is statutorily
subject to such warrantless searches and he or she is to be provided written notice
of the APA’s statutory authority to conduct such searches. Thus, any signature
obtained from an individual is simply the acknowledgment of the individual’s
receipt of such written notice.
{¶20} Moreover, like similarly-worded statutes, R.C. 2967.131(C) has
passed “constitutional muster.” See Griffin v. Wisconsin, 483 U.S. 868, 107 S.Ct.
3164 (1987), paragraph one of the syllabus; United States v. Loney, 331 F.3d 516,
521 (6th Cir.2003). See also State v. Benton, 82 Ohio St.3d 316, 318 (1998).
Indeed, the General Assembly codified R.C. 2967.131 in the wake of the United
States Supreme Court’s approval of a similar Wisconsin statute. See, e.g., State v.
Mattison, 2d Dist. Montgomery No. 17554, 1999 WL 957648, *2 (Sept. 3, 1999)
(noting that R.C. 2967.131 “appears to have been enacted in response to the United
States Supreme Court’s decision in Griffin * * * , which considered the
constitutionality of a similarly-worded Wisconsin regulation that permitted
probation officers to conduct a warrantless search of a probationer’s home so long
as the probation officers had ‘reasonable grounds to believe’ that contraband was
present”). We see no reason to depart from that rationale in this case.
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{¶21} As a result, Harrison did not present clear and convincing evidence of
presently existing facts which render R.C. 2967.131 unconstitutional and void when
applied to those facts. Consequently, the trial court did not err by denying
Harrison’s motion to suppress evidence seized incident to the May 27, 2020 search.
{¶22} Accordingly, Harrison’s assignment of error is overruled.
{¶23} Having found no error prejudicial to the appellant herein in the
particulars assigned and argued, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.
Judgment Affirmed
WALDICK and MILLER, J.J., concur.
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