State v. Lawson

Citations

• 164 N.E.3d 1130
• 2020 Ohio 6852

Syllabus

The trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying appellant's motions for a continuance and for new counsel, both made on the morning of trial. Appellant told the court on the morning of trial that he was ready to proceed with trial the trial court reasonably denied his subsequent request for a continuance, made after almost two hours of voir dire. Although appellant expressed dissatisfaction with his attorney, the trial court could have reasonably concluded that the issues were not so great that it would prevent an effective defense. The circumstances in this case did not rise to the magnitude that it was unlikely that appellant could have received the effective assistance of counsel therefore, prejudice was not presumed. No ineffective assistance of counsel was demonstrated based on defense counsel's specific conduct. The State presented sufficient evidence to support the jury's guilty verdicts for possession of drugs and trafficking in drugs. The State's evidence supported a reasonable conclusion that appellant knowingly possessed the drugs located in a search of the vehicle he was driving, even though the vehicle was left unattended on the street for a limited period of time. In addition, the State's evidence established that appellant knew the drugs were in the car and that he drove the car with the intention of selling those drugs. Judgment affirmed.