State v. Pepin-McCaffrey

Vukovich, Presiding Judge.

{¶ 1} Defendant-appellant Chantal Pepin-McCaffrey appeals after Mahoning County Court No. 4 found her guilty of domestic violence. Besides raising issues concerning sufficiency and weight of the evidence, appellant also contends that the trial court improperly believed that the affirmative defense of self-defense was not available to a defendant who had not filed pretrial notice with the state regarding that defense. Because the trial court sustained the state’s objection on this improper basis and prematurely opined that appellant could not establish self-defense,…