130th Ohio General Assembly
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As Passed by the Senate

123rd General Assembly
Regular Session
1999-2000
Sub. H. B. No. 29

REPRESENTATIVES GRENDELL-PRINGLE-CLANCY-SCHULER-JERSE- TAYLOR-MOTTLEY-WILLAMOWSKI-WOMERBENJAMIN-DAMSCHRODER- TERWILLEGER-PADGETT-AUSTRIA-ALLEN-DISTEL-KRUPINSKI-DePIERO- HOOPS-METELSKY-EVANS-FLANNERY-HARTNETT-MAIER-SALERNO-FORD- THOMAS-BENDER-BUEHRER-
SENATORS BLESSING-LATTA- SPADA-WATTS-SCHAFRATH-LATELL-MUMPER


A BILL
To amend sections 2921.331 and 2929.14 of the Revised Code to increase the penalty for "failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer" regarding the dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:


Section 1. That sections 2921.331 and 2929.14 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:

Sec. 2921.331. (A) No person shall fail to comply with any lawful order or direction of any police officer invested with authority to direct, control, or regulate traffic.

(B) No person shall operate a motor vehicle so as willfully to elude or flee a police officer after receiving a visible or audible signal from a police officer to bring his THE PERSON'S motor vehicle to a stop.

(C)(1) Whoever violates this section is guilty of failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer. A

(2) A violation of division (A) of this section is a misdemeanor of the first degree. A

(3) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN DIVISIONS (C)(4) AND (5) OF THIS SECTION, A violation of division (B) of this section is a misdemeanor of the first degree, except that a.

(4) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN DIVISION (C)(5) OF THIS SECTION, A violation of division (B) of this section is a felony of the fourth degree if the jury or judge as trier of fact finds any one of the following by proof beyond a reasonable doubt:

(1) In THAT, IN committing the offense, the offender was fleeing immediately after the commission of a felony;

(2).

(5)(a) A VIOLATION OF DIVISION (B) OF THIS SECTION IS A FELONY OF THE THIRD DEGREE IF THE JURY OR JUDGE AS TRIER OF FACT FINDS ANY OF THE FOLLOWING BY PROOF BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT:

(i) The operation of the motor vehicle by the offender was a proximate cause of serious physical harm to persons or property;

(3).

(ii) The operation of the motor vehicle by the offender caused a substantial risk of serious physical harm to persons or property.

(b) IF A POLICE OFFICER PURSUES AN OFFENDER WHO IS VIOLATING DIVISION (B) OF THIS SECTION AND DIVISION (C)(5)(a) OF THIS SECTION APPLIES, THE SENTENCING COURT, IN DETERMINING THE SERIOUSNESS OF AN OFFENDER'S CONDUCT FOR PURPOSES OF SENTENCING THE OFFENDER FOR A VIOLATION OF DIVISION (B) OF THIS SECTION, SHALL CONSIDER, ALONG WITH THE FACTORS SET FORTH IN SECTIONS 2929.12 AND 2929.13 OF THE REVISED CODE THAT ARE REQUIRED TO BE CONSIDERED, ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:

(i) THE DURATION OF THE PURSUIT;

(ii) THE DISTANCE OF THE PURSUIT;

(iii) THE RATE OF SPEED AT WHICH THE OFFENDER OPERATED THE MOTOR VEHICLE DURING THE PURSUIT;

(iv) WHETHER THE OFFENDER FAILED TO STOP FOR TRAFFIC LIGHTS OR STOP SIGNS DURING THE PURSUIT;

(v) THE NUMBER OF TRAFFIC LIGHTS OR STOP SIGNS FOR WHICH THE OFFENDER FAILED TO STOP DURING THE PURSUIT;

(vi) WHETHER THE OFFENDER OPERATED THE MOTOR VEHICLE DURING THE PURSUIT WITHOUT LIGHTED LIGHTS DURING A TIME WHEN LIGHTED LIGHTS ARE REQUIRED;

(vii) WHETHER THE OFFENDER COMMITTED A MOVING VIOLATION DURING THE PURSUIT;

(viii) THE NUMBER OF MOVING VIOLATIONS THE OFFENDER COMMITTED DURING THE PURSUIT;

(ix) ANY OTHER RELEVANT FACTORS INDICATING THAT THE OFFENDER'S CONDUCT IS MORE SERIOUS THAN CONDUCT NORMALLY CONSTITUTING THE OFFENSE.

(D) IF AN OFFENDER IS SENTENCED PURSUANT TO DIVISION (C)(4) OR (5) OF THIS SECTION FOR A VIOLATION OF DIVISION (B) OF THIS SECTION, AND IF THE OFFENDER IS SENTENCED TO A PRISON TERM FOR THAT VIOLATION, THE OFFENDER SHALL SERVE THE PRISON TERM CONSECUTIVELY TO ANY OTHER PRISON TERM OR MANDATORY PRISON TERM IMPOSED UPON THE OFFENDER.

(E) As used in this section, "police:

(1) "MOVING VIOLATION" HAS THE SAME MEANING AS IN SECTION 2743.70 of the Revised Code.

(2) "POLICE officer" has the same meaning as in section 4511.01 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 2929.14. (A) Except as provided in division (C), (D)(2), (D)(3), (D)(4), or (G) of this section and except in relation to an offense for which a sentence of death or life imprisonment is to be imposed, if the court imposing a sentence upon an offender for a felony elects or is required to impose a prison term on the offender pursuant to this chapter and is not prohibited by division (G)(1) of section 2929.13 of the Revised Code from imposing a prison term on the offender, the court shall impose a definite prison term that shall be one of the following:

(1) For a felony of the first degree, the prison term shall be three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten years.

(2) For a felony of the second degree, the prison term shall be two, three, four, five, six, seven, or eight years.

(3) For a felony of the third degree, the prison term shall be one, two, three, four, or five years.

(4) For a felony of the fourth degree, the prison term shall be six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen months.

(5) For a felony of the fifth degree, the prison term shall be six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, or twelve months.

(B) Except as provided in division (C), (D)(2), (D)(3), or (G) of this section, in section 2907.02 of the Revised Code, or in Chapter 2925. of the Revised Code, if the court imposing a sentence upon an offender for a felony elects or is required to impose a prison term on the offender and if the offender previously has not served a prison term, the court shall impose the shortest prison term authorized for the offense pursuant to division (A) of this section, unless the court finds on the record that the shortest prison term will demean the seriousness of the offender's conduct or will not adequately protect the public from future crime by the offender or others.

(C) Except as provided in division (G) of this section or in Chapter 2925. of the Revised Code, the court imposing a sentence upon an offender for a felony may impose the longest prison term authorized for the offense pursuant to division (A) of this section only upon offenders who committed the worst forms of the offense, upon offenders who pose the greatest likelihood of committing future crimes, upon certain major drug offenders under division (D)(3) of this section, and upon certain repeat violent offenders in accordance with division (D)(2) of this section.

(D)(1)(a)(i) Except as provided in division (D)(1)(b) of this section, if an offender who is convicted of or pleads guilty to a felony also is convicted of or pleads guilty to a specification of the type described in section 2941.144 of the Revised Code that charges the offender with having a firearm that is an automatic firearm or that was equipped with a firearm muffler or silencer on or about the offender's person or under the offender's control while committing the felony, a specification of the type described in section 2941.145 of the Revised Code that charges the offender with having a firearm on or about the offender's person or under the offender's control while committing the offense and displaying the firearm, brandishing the firearm, indicating that the offender possessed the firearm, or using it to facilitate the offense, or a specification of the type described in section 2941.141 of the Revised Code that charges the offender with having a firearm on or about the offender's person or under the offender's control while committing the felony, the court, after imposing a prison term on the offender for the felony under division (A), (D)(2), or (D)(3) of this section, shall impose an additional prison term, determined pursuant to this division, that shall not be reduced pursuant to section 2929.20, section 2967.193, or any other provision of Chapter 2967. or Chapter 5120. of the Revised Code. If the specification is of the type described in section 2941.144 of the Revised Code, the additional prison term shall be six years. If the specification is of the type described in section 2941.145 of the Revised Code, the additional prison term shall be three years. If the specification is of the type described in section 2941.141 of the Revised Code, the additional prison term shall be one year. A court shall not impose more than one additional prison term on an offender under this division for felonies committed as part of the same act or transaction. If a court imposes an additional prison term under division (D)(1)(a)(ii) of this section, the court is not precluded from imposing an additional prison term under this division.

(ii) Except as provided in division (D)(1)(b) of this section, if an offender who is convicted of or pleads guilty to a violation of section 2923.161 of the Revised Code or to a felony that includes, as an essential element, purposely or knowingly causing or attempting to cause the death of or physical harm to another, also is convicted of or pleads guilty to a specification of the type described in section 2941.146 of the Revised Code that charges the offender with committing the offense by discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle, as defined in section 4501.01 of the Revised Code, other than a manufactured home, as defined in section 4501.01 of the Revised Code, the court, after imposing a prison term on the offender for the violation of section 2923.161 of the Revised Code or for the other felony offense under division (A), (D)(2), or (D)(3) of this section, shall impose an additional prison term of five years upon the offender that shall not be reduced pursuant to section 2929.20, section 2967.193, or any other provision of Chapter 2967. or Chapter 5120. of the Revised Code. A court shall not impose more than one additional prison term on an offender under this division for felonies committed as part of the same act or transaction. If a court imposes an additional prison term on an offender under this division relative to an offense, the court also shall impose an additional prison term under division (D)(1)(a)(i) of this section relative to the same offense, provided the criteria specified in that division for imposing an additional prison term are satisfied relative to the offender and the offense.

(b) The court shall not impose any of the additional prison terms described in division (D)(1)(a) of this section upon an offender for a violation of section 2923.12 or 2923.123 of the Revised Code. The court shall not impose any of the additional prison terms described in that division upon an offender for a violation of section 2923.13 of the Revised Code unless all of the following apply:

(i) The offender previously has been convicted of aggravated murder, murder, or any felony of the first or second degree.

(ii) Less than five years have passed since the offender was released from prison or post-release control, whichever is later, for the prior offense.

(2)(a) If an offender who is convicted of or pleads guilty to a felony also is convicted of or pleads guilty to a specification of the type described in section 2941.149 of the Revised Code that the offender is a repeat violent offender, the court shall impose a prison term from the range of terms authorized for the offense under division (A) of this section that may be the longest term in the range and that shall not be reduced pursuant to section 2929.20, section 2967.193, or any other provision of Chapter 2967. or Chapter 5120. of the Revised Code. If the court finds that the repeat violent offender, in committing the offense, caused any physical harm that carried a substantial risk of death to a person or that involved substantial permanent incapacity or substantial permanent disfigurement of a person, the court shall impose the longest prison term from the range of terms authorized for the offense under division (A) of this section.

(b) If the court imposing a prison term on a repeat violent offender imposes the longest prison term from the range of terms authorized for the offense under division (A) of this section, the court may impose on the offender an additional definite prison term of one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten years if the court finds that both of the following apply with respect to the prison terms imposed on the offender pursuant to division (D)(2)(a) of this section and, if applicable, divisions (D)(1) and (3) of this section:

(i) The terms so imposed are inadequate to punish the offender and protect the public from future crime, because the applicable factors under section 2929.12 of the Revised Code indicating a greater likelihood of recidivism outweigh the applicable factors under that section indicating a lesser likelihood of recidivism.

(ii) The terms so imposed are demeaning to the seriousness of the offense, because one or more of the factors under section 2929.12 of the Revised Code indicating that the offender's conduct is more serious than conduct normally constituting the offense are present, and they outweigh the applicable factors under that section indicating that the offender's conduct is less serious than conduct normally constituting the offense.

(3)(a) Except when an offender commits a violation of section 2903.01 or 2907.02 of the Revised Code and the penalty imposed for the violation is life imprisonment or commits a violation of section 2903.02 of the Revised Code, if the offender commits a violation of section 2925.03, 2925.04, or 2925.11 of the Revised Code and that section requires the imposition of a ten-year prison term on the offender or if a court imposing a sentence upon an offender for a felony finds that the offender is guilty of a specification of the type described in section 2941.1410 of the Revised Code, that the offender is a major drug offender, is guilty of corrupt activity with the most serious offense in the pattern of corrupt activity being a felony of the first degree, or is guilty of an attempted forcible violation of section 2907.02 of the Revised Code with the victim being under thirteen years of age and that attempted violation is the felony for which sentence is being imposed, the court shall impose upon the offender for the felony violation a ten-year prison term that cannot be reduced pursuant to section 2929.20 or Chapter 2967. or 5120. of the Revised Code.

(b) The court imposing a prison term on an offender under division (D)(3)(a) of this section may impose an additional prison term of one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten years, if the court, with respect to the term imposed under division (D)(3)(a) of this section and, if applicable, divisions (D)(1) and (2) of this section, makes both of the findings set forth in divisions (D)(2)(b)(i) and (ii) of this section.

(4) If the offender is being sentenced for a fourth degree felony OMVI offense and if division (G)(2) of section 2929.13 of the Revised Code requires the sentencing court to impose upon the offender a mandatory prison term, the sentencing court shall impose upon the offender a mandatory prison term in accordance with that division. In addition to the mandatory prison term, the sentencing court may sentence the offender to an additional prison term of any duration specified in division (A)(4) of this section minus the sixty days imposed upon the offender as the mandatory prison term. The total of the additional prison term imposed under division (D)(4) of this section plus the sixty days imposed as the mandatory prison term shall equal one of the authorized prison terms specified in division (A)(4) of this section. If the court imposes an additional prison term under division (D)(4) of this section, the offender shall serve the additional prison term after the offender has served the mandatory prison term required for the offense. The court shall not sentence the offender to a community control sanction under section 2929.16 or 2929.17 of the Revised Code.

(E)(1) If a mandatory prison term is imposed upon an offender pursuant to division (D)(1)(a) of this section for having a firearm on or about the offender's person or under the offender's control while committing a felony or if a mandatory prison term is imposed upon an offender pursuant to division (D)(1)(b) of this section for committing a felony specified in that division by discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle, the offender shall serve the mandatory prison term consecutively to and prior to the prison term imposed for the underlying felony pursuant to division (A), (D)(2), or (D)(3) of this section or any other section of the Revised Code and consecutively to any other prison term or mandatory prison term previously or subsequently imposed upon the offender.

(2) If an offender who is an inmate in a jail, prison, or other residential detention facility violates section 2917.02, 2917.03, 2921.34, or 2921.35 of the Revised Code, if an offender who is under detention at a detention facility commits a felony violation of section 2923.131 of the Revised Code, or if an offender who is an inmate in a jail, prison, or other residential detention facility or is under detention at a detention facility commits another felony while the offender is an escapee in violation of section 2921.34 of the Revised Code, any prison term imposed upon the offender for one of those violations shall be served by the offender consecutively to the prison term or term of imprisonment the offender was serving when the offender committed that offense and to any other prison term previously or subsequently imposed upon the offender. As used in this division, "detention" and "detention facility" have the same meanings as in section 2921.01 of the Revised Code.

(3) If a prison term is imposed for a violation of division (B) of section 2911.01 of the Revised Code OR IF A PRISON TERM IS IMPOSED FOR A FELONY VIOLATION OF DIVISION (B) OF SECTION 2921.331 of the Revised Code, the offender shall serve that prison term consecutively to any other prison term OR MANDATORY PRISON TERM PREVIOUSLY OR SUBSEQUENTLY IMPOSED UPON THE OFFENDER.

(4) If multiple prison terms are imposed on an offender for convictions of multiple offenses, the court may require the offender to serve the prison terms consecutively if the court finds that the consecutive service is necessary to protect the public from future crime or to punish the offender and that consecutive sentences are not disproportionate to the seriousness of the offender's conduct and to the danger the offender poses to the public, and if the court also finds any of the following:

(a) The offender committed the multiple offenses while the offender was awaiting trial or sentencing, was under a sanction imposed pursuant to section 2929.16, 2929.17, or 2929.18 of the Revised Code, or was under post-release control for a prior offense.

(b) The harm caused by the multiple offenses was so great or unusual that no single prison term for any of the offenses committed as part of a single course of conduct adequately reflects the seriousness of the offender's conduct.

(c) The offender's history of criminal conduct demonstrates that consecutive sentences are necessary to protect the public from future crime by the offender.

(5) When consecutive prison terms are imposed pursuant to division (E)(1), (2), (3), or (4) of this section, the term to be served is the aggregate of all of the terms so imposed.

(F) If a court imposes a prison term of a type described in division (B) of section 2967.28 of the Revised Code, it shall include in the sentence a requirement that the offender be subject to a period of post-release control after the offender's release from imprisonment, in accordance with that division. If a court imposes a prison term of a type described in division (C) of that section, it shall include in the sentence a requirement that the offender be subject to a period of post-release control after the offender's release from imprisonment, in accordance with that division, if the parole board determines that a period of post-release control is necessary.

(G) If a person is convicted of or pleads guilty to a sexually violent offense and also is convicted of or pleads guilty to a sexually violent predator specification that was included in the indictment, count in the indictment, or information charging that offense, the court shall impose sentence upon the offender in accordance with section 2971.03 of the Revised Code, and Chapter 2971. of the Revised Code applies regarding the prison term or term of life imprisonment without parole imposed upon the offender and the service of that term of imprisonment.

(H) If a person who has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a felony is sentenced to a prison term or term of imprisonment under this section, sections 2929.02 to 2929.06 of the Revised Code, section 2971.03 of the Revised Code, or any other provision of law, section 5120.163 of the Revised Code applies regarding the person while the person is confined in a state correctional institution.

(I) If an offender who is convicted of or pleads guilty to a felony that is an offense of violence also is convicted of or pleads guilty to a specification of the type described in section 2941.142 of the Revised Code that charges the offender with having committed the felony while participating in a criminal gang, the court shall impose upon the offender an additional prison term of one, two, or three years.

(J) If an offender who is convicted of or pleads guilty to aggravated murder, murder, or a felony of the first, second, or third degree that is an offense of violence also is convicted of or pleads guilty to a specification of the type described in section 2941.143 of the Revised Code that charges the offender with having committed the offense in a school safety zone or towards a person in a school safety zone, the court shall impose upon the offender an additional prison term of two years. The offender shall serve the additional two years consecutively to and prior to the prison term imposed for the underlying offense.


Section 2. That existing sections 2921.331 and 2929.14 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.
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