Trending
The 11th District Court of Appeals on Monday upheld the conviction and sentence of Leonel L. Brown, 48, of Summit Street NW, Warren.
In July, Brown was convicted by a Trumbull County jury of menacing by stalking a minor, a fourth-degree felony, ending a one-day trial before Trumbull County Common Pleas Judge Sean O'Brien. The jury returned the guilty verdict after deliberating for less than an hour.
Testimony was given by the 17-year-old victim, a worker at the Walmart superstore in Bazetta, who testified Brown harassed her continually, which culminated with a confrontation Sept. 20, 2023, in which customers had to come to the teen's aid.
Brown testified in his own defense and testimony also was given by two of the teen's fellow Walmart employees.
In his appeal, Brown cited the trial court had erred in allowing hearsay evidence during the testimony of the young victim. In its decision, 11th District Judge Matt Lynch, joined by fellow judges John Eklund and Eugene Lucci, ruled that the assignment of error is without merit.
"Here, admission of the manager's statements to appellant (Brown) was cumulative and corroborative of ample other testimony that established both the victim's age and that appellant had engaged in a pattern of behavior," Lynch wrote. "Appellant (Brown) was not deprived of his right to confront a witness at trial, the trial court did not allow hearsay statements to be admitted during trial ... and even assuming error, it was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt."
O'Brien sentenced Brown on Oct. 8, 2025, to serve five years of community control with specific sanctions and conditions, which were upheld by the 11th District decision.