Ohio Revised Code

Ohio Rev. Code § 2943.03 (2026)

Pleas to indictment

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section ORCcodes.ohio.gov (official) Justiaon Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

Pleas to an indictment or information are:

(A) Guilty;

(B) Not guilty;

(C) A former judgment of conviction or acquittal of the offense;

(D) Once in jeopardy;

(E) Not guilty by reason of insanity.

A defendant who does not plead guilty may enter one or more of the other pleas. A defendant who does not plead not guilty by reason of insanity is conclusively presumed to have been sane at the time of the commission of the offense charged. The court may, for good cause shown, allow a change of plea at any time before the commencement of the trial.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 36 cases (4 in the last 5 years), 1956–2025 · leading case: State v.Bibler, 2014 Ohio 3375 (Ohio Ct. App. 2014).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
State v.Bibler, 2014 Ohio 3375 (Ohio Ct. App. 2014). · cites it 20× “R.C. 2943.03 allows for “[p]leas to an indictment * * *.”
State v. Jenkins, 473 N.E.2d 264 (Ohio 1984). “The state objected, arguing that appellant was attempting to create delay or provide a basis for potential collateral estoppel or double jeopardy arguments.”
State v. Francis, 104 Ohio St. 3d 490 (Ohio 2004). “{¶ 78} I concur with those portions of the majority opinion that “require a criminal defendant who seeks to withdraw a plea to do so in a timely fashion rather than delaying for an unreasonable length of time,” and I also concur with the majority’s adoption of a…”
State v. Freeman, 801 N.E.2d 906 (Ohio Ct. App. 2003). · cites it 2× “{¶ 32} R.C. 2943.03 provides that a defendant who does not plead not guilty by reason of insanity is conclusively presumed to have been sane at the time of the commission of the offense charged.”
State v. Fore, 248 N.E.2d 633 (Ohio Ct. App. 1969). · cites it 4× “The journal entry on arraignment does not so state, nor is there any written plea noted on the transcript, nor is it in the original papers herein.”
State v. McEndree, 2020 Ohio 4526 (Ohio Ct. App. 2020). “McEndree entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity pursuant to R.C. 2943.03(E). The Jury Trial {¶20} The case proceeded to a five-day jury trial.”
Bonnell v. Mitchel, 301 F. Supp. 2d 698 (N.D. Ohio 2004). “03, Ohio Revised Code), and denial of a motion to change plea following appointment of counsel ‘would constitute such good cause that a subsequent refusal by the trial court to permit a change of plea would constitute an abuse of discretion’ reviewable as such (Dean, 187 N.E.2d…”
State v. Qualls, 552 N.E.2d 957 (Ohio Ct. App. 1988). “Under R.C. 2943.03(A) and Crim. R. 11(A), a defendant may plead not guilty by reason of insanity, and, under R.”
State v. Haney, 906 N.E.2d 472 (Ohio Ct. App. 2009). “Appellant initially entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity pursuant to R.C. 2943.03(E) and Crim.R. 11(A). The trial court ordered appellant to undergo a forensic psychiatric examination to determine his mental condition at the time of the commission of the offense.”
State v. Sawyer, 915 N.E.2d 715 (Ohio Ct. App. 2009). “11(C)(2); R.C. 2943.03. . 63 Ohio St.2d 288 , 17 O.”
State v. Orth, 153 N.E.2d 394 (Ohio Ct. App. 1957). · cites it 2× “Section 2943.03, Revised Code, provides: “Pleas to an indictment or information are: “(A) Guilty; “(B) Not guilty; “(C) A former judgment of conviction or acquittal of the offense; *37 “(D) Once in jeopardy; “ (E) Not guilty by reason of insanity.”
State v. Cihonski, 900 N.E.2d 212 (Ohio Ct. App. 2008). “1 {¶ 3} In July 2007, Cihonski entered a written plea of not guilty by reason of insanity (“NGRI”), pursuant to R.C. 2943.03(E), which the trial court accepted, and moved the trial court for a competence evaluation and a mental evaluation.”
Show all 36 citing cases →
— Ohio Rev. Code § 2943.03(1)(B)(1) — 1 case
State v.Bibler, 2014 Ohio 3375 (Ohio Ct. App. 2014). “R.C. 2943.03 allows for “[p]leas to an indictment * * *.”
— Ohio Rev. Code § 2943.03(A) — 2 cases
State v. Qualls, 552 N.E.2d 957 (Ohio Ct. App. 1988). “Under R.C. 2943.03(A) and Crim. R. 11(A), a defendant may plead not guilty by reason of insanity, and, under R.”
State v.Bibler, 2014 Ohio 3375 (Ohio Ct. App. 2014). “R.C. 2943.03 allows for “[p]leas to an indictment * * *.”
— Ohio Rev. Code § 2943.03(A)(3)(b) — 1 case
Lavar v. Accel Schs. Ohio, 2025 Ohio 3150 (Ohio Ct. App. 2025).
— Ohio Rev. Code § 2943.03(D) — 3 cases
State v. Francis, 104 Ohio St. 3d 490 (Ohio 2004). “{¶ 78} I concur with those portions of the majority opinion that “require a criminal defendant who seeks to withdraw a plea to do so in a timely fashion rather than delaying for an unreasonable length of time,” and I also concur with the majority’s adoption of a…”
State v. Bozso, 2018 Ohio 1750 (Ohio Ct. App. 2018).
State v. Aquino, 2014 Ohio 118 (Ohio Ct. App. 2014).
— Ohio Rev. Code § 2943.03(E) — 5 cases
State v. McEndree, 2020 Ohio 4526 (Ohio Ct. App. 2020). “McEndree entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity pursuant to R.C. 2943.03(E). The Jury Trial {¶20} The case proceeded to a five-day jury trial.”
State v. Haney, 906 N.E.2d 472 (Ohio Ct. App. 2009). “Appellant initially entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity pursuant to R.C. 2943.03(E) and Crim.R. 11(A). The trial court ordered appellant to undergo a forensic psychiatric examination to determine his mental condition at the time of the commission of the offense.”
State v. Cihonski, 900 N.E.2d 212 (Ohio Ct. App. 2008). “1 {¶ 3} In July 2007, Cihonski entered a written plea of not guilty by reason of insanity (“NGRI”), pursuant to R.C. 2943.03(E), which the trial court accepted, and moved the trial court for a competence evaluation and a mental evaluation.”
State v. Crew, 2022 Ohio 752 (Ohio Ct. App. 2022).
State v. Kulikowski, 2024 Ohio 5824 (Ohio Ct. App. 2024).
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.