State v. Sorrels

The defendant-appellant, Steven Sorrels, appeals from the trial court’s order convicting him of assault, in violation of R.C. 2903.13, following a bench trial. The defendant contends that the trial court committed the following errors: (1) admitted into evidence documents which were hearsay; (2) overruled his motion for a new trial when the judgment was against the manifest weight of the evidence; and (3) shifted the burden from the state to the defendant to prove the defense of alibi. We find that the defendant’s first and third assignments of error are well taken.

On March 7, 1989, Kendra…