Appeals court upholds conviction, sentence in robbery and assault case
The 11th District Court of Appeals released on Monday that they have upheld the conviction and prison sentence for a man involved in a robbery and assault that happened in 2024.
Craig Ison, 43, was sentenced on October 16, 2024, to an indefinite term of 15 to 20 years in prison after a jury took less than an hour to find Ison guilty of aggravated robbery, felonious assault and trespass in a habitation when a person is present.
According to the release, the case involved Ison breaking into a Warren home in April of 2024 and an incident outside of the Huntington Bank Building later that same year in Warren, where an elderly woman was assaulted and robbed.
The release states that the woman spoke during Ison's sentencing, stating that she "felt helpless and very afraid" during the incident.
According to the release, the woman outlined the extent of her injuries sustained during the incident, including three breaks in her thoracic spine, a laceration to her head and her emotional trauma sustained.
In his appeal, Ison raised errors that he was denied due process, that there was insufficient evidence presented at trial and that the trial court erred in combining the first two counts for the purpose of sentencing.
Furthermore, Ison raised the error that the court sentenced him as a qualifying violent offender, requiring him to register as a violent offender.
Although the appellate court found the first four errors to be without merit, the court did agree that Ohio law does not consider aggravated robbery, felonious assault and trespass in a habitation as qualifying offenses for the violent offender classification.
As a result, Ison will not have to register as a violent offender. He will still serve his full sentence of 15 to 20 years.
