State v. Knox

Reece, Judge.

Appellant, the state of Ohio, appeals from the trial court’s determination that the state may not pursue forfeiture under R.C. 2933.43, Ohio’s contraband forfeiture statute, if the defendant’s underlying crime is drug abuse in violation of R.C. 2925.11. We reverse.

The defendant-appellee, Eric E. Knox, Sr., was charged with drug abuse after police discovered cocaine in his 1986 Pontiac Grand Am. Pursuant to R.C. 2933.43, the state petitioned for forfeiture of the Grand Am as contraband. At the forfeiture hearing, the trial court did not receive any evidence other than the parties’…