State v. Smith

Citations

• 2019 Ohio 2467

Syllabus

Evidence that defendant \spanked\ his girlfriend's 11-year-old son with a belt over schoolwork, leaving extensive bruising that lasted a few weeks, was sufficient to sustain defendant's assault conviction. Evidence supported a conclusion that the physical harm inflicted was not consistent with reasonable parental discipline, and the guilty verdict was not contrary to the manifest weight of the evidence. In addition, the defense failed to proffer mother's excluded testimony about past disciplinary issues with son, and no basis exists to conclude that such testimony would have changed the outcome of defendant's bench trial. Judgment affirmed.