Author Archives: Robert Walton, Esq.

New Speedy Trial Clock for New Charges Based on Lab Results

Posted on October 11, 2022 by Robert Walton, Esq.

Andre Sanford was in a crash in October 2016.  He struck a motorcycle, killing the driver and left the scene.  An hour later he surrendered, admitted that he had been drinking and smoking weed, and submitted to a blood test.  Sometime later the test results indicated a prohibited amount of marijuana metabolites in his system. […]

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DUS Requires Movement

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Robert Walton, Esq.

Many years ago there was not a statutory definition of operate and court decisions broadly interpreted the meaning of the word in OVI and DUS cases to include being in a position to move a car with the keys in the ignition. About 20 years ago the legislature enacted a physical control statute and added […]

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Providing a Good Defense – Obtaining Discovery and Public Records

Posted on August 23, 2022 by Robert Walton, Esq.

One of the things Phil Korey taught me is perseverance in investigating a criminal case.  A part of that is making full use of Crim. R. 16, due process, the Public Records Act and our intuition. Crim R. 16. It’s always good to review what must be provided by the state in response to a […]

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The Community Caretaking Doctrine and Fourth Amendment Reasonableness

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Robert Walton, Esq.

A car is parked on the shoulder of a freeway late at night. It is not impeding traffic and nobody has called the police about the car. It does not appear to be damaged and there are not any people standing outside of it. The weather is good. A police officer pulls off to the berm […]

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Reasonable Suspicion to Make a Traffic Stop Based on a Tip and an Officer’s Observations

Posted on September 9, 2021 by Robert Walton, Esq.

By Robert G. Walton Esq. and Danielle Muster, his law clerk. On June 24, 2021, Supreme Court of Ohio decided State v. Tidwell, Slip Opinion No. 2021-Ohio-2072, which stemmed from a motion to suppress in an OVI case. Early in the opinion the Court stated that the principal issue was whether a police officer had […]

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Lange v. California: “No Categorical Warrantless Search Exception” Where Misdemeanant Flees into Home

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Robert Walton, Esq.

By Robert G. Walton Esquire and Danielle Muster, his law clerk. On June 23, 2021, the United States Supreme Court handed down a decision in Lange v. California, 594 U. S. ____(2021). The principal issue was whether the pursuit of a fleeing misdemeanor suspect categorically qualifies as an exigent circumstance justifying a warrantless entry into […]

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Miranda Custody

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Robert Walton, Esq.

Often, a person who has been detained (Terry stop, traffic stop) is “in custody ” for Miranda purposes before a formal arrest occurs. That is important because the procedural safeguards adopted by Miranda become necessary once a defendant is taken into custody.

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A Template-Motion in Limine to Exclude Evidence of a Chemical Test Refusal from Being Heard by a Jury

Posted on November 24, 2020 by Robert Walton, Esq.

In cases where the facts make it appropriate, the following sets forth a framework for excluding evidence of a refusal as proof of guilt in an OVI case and as proof of the element of refusal in an OVI-refusal with a prior OVI in the past 20 years case.

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Limiting Evidence of Observations of Defendant’s Actions During Improperly Administered Wat and OLS

Posted on October 30, 2020 by Robert Walton, Esq.

 State v. Homan, 89 Ohio St.3d 421, R.C. 4511.19(D)(4), and State v. Schmitt, 101 Ohio St.3d 79 piece together when the state can introduce evidence (through testimony and video) concerning the results of standardized field sobriety tests (SFST’s) in any criminal prosecution for OVI.  Simply stated, the standard for consideration of the results on the […]

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The ALS Appeal Is Important

Posted on October 1, 2020 by Robert Walton, Esq.

One of the primary concerns of a person who has been arrested for OVI is the administrative license suspension (ALS) imposed against the driver’s license for refusing or “failing” a chemical test. The ALS is authorized under R.C. 4511.191, Ohio’s “Implied Consent” statute. This post is meant to generate some ideas, through the use of advocacy and […]

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