COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO, EIGHTH DISTRICT
                         COUNTY OF CUYAHOGA
                             NO. 70997
                                   :    ACCELERATED DOCKET
STATE OF OHIO                      :
                                   :       JOURNAL ENTRY
          Plaintiff-Appellee       :
                                   :            and
     -vs-                          :
                                   :          OPINION
                                   :
HOWARD SHEPHERD                    :         PER CURIAM
                                   :
          Defendant-Appellant      :
                                   :
DATE OF ANNOUNCEMENT                     APRIL 3, 1997        
OF DECISION:
CHARACTER OF PROCEEDING:           Criminal appeal from
                                   Common Pleas Court
                                   Case No. CR-273567
JUDGMENT:                          Affirmed.
DATE OF JOURNALIZATION:            __________________________
APPEARANCES:
For Plaintiff-Appellee:            For Defendant-Appellant:
STEPHANIE TUBBS-JONES, ESQ.        JOHN REULBACH, ESQ.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor         14701 Detroit Avenue
8th Floor Justice Center           Suite 575
1200 Ontario Street                Lakewood, Ohio  44107
Cleveland, Ohio  44113
                                -2-
PER CURIAM: 
     This appeal was  filed, briefed, and argued  as an accelerated
appeal pursuant to Local R. 25 of this court.
     Howard Shepherd, defendant-appellant, timely appeals the trial
court's  decision  finding him  guilty  of  rape upon  his  plea of
guilty.  Shepherd assigns the following error for our review:
          THE TRIAL COURT FAILED TO COMPLY  WITH CRIMINAL
          RULE 11 IN ASCERTAINING WHETHER THE APPELLANT'S
          PLEA   WAS   KNOWINGLY,    INTELLIGENTLY,   AND
          VOLUNTARILY  MADE  BY  FAILING   TO  ADEQUATELY
          DETERMINE WHETHER  THE APPELLANT WAS  UNDER THE
          INFLUENCE OF DRUGS AT THE TIME OF SAID PLEA.
     Shepherd's brief contains no citations to any authority or any
part  of  the  record.    App.R.12(A)(2)  provides  the  court  may
disregard  an assignment of error if the  party raising it fails to
identify in the record the  error on which the assignment of  error
is  based or fails to argue the assignment separately in the brief,
as required under App.R.  16(A).  Under App.R. 16(A)(7),  an appel-
late brief must contain, among other things, an argument containing
the contentions of the appellant with respect to each assignment of
error  presented  for review  and  the  reasons in  support  of the
contentions, with citations to the authorities, statutes, and parts
of the  record on  which appellant  relies.   Consequently, we  may
disregard his assigned error under App.R. 12(A)(2).
     However,  in the  interest of  justice, we  have reviewed  the
entire record including the transcript of  the plea hearing, and we
conclude  the trial  court complied  with Crim.R.  11 in  accepting
                                -3-
Shepherd's guilty plea.  Before accepting his plea, the trial court
asked Shepherd the following: 
     THE COURT:     So  you   haven't  had  any  drugs  or  alcohol
                    recently; is that correct?
     SHEPHERD:      Right.
(Tr. 10)
     Shepherd  has attached  handwritten progress  notes ostensibly
from the Cuyahoga County Jail.  The notes, which contain no authen-
ticating information, refer  to the administration of  Thorazine on
August 1, 1992, August 3, 1992 and on  August 17, 1992.  On the day
of the plea hearing, Shepherd denied any recent drug use.  At most,
the progress notes  show that Shepherd  was given Thorazine over  a
week prior to his plea hearing.  They do not show that Shepherd was
under the influence of drugs on August 11, 1992.
     In light  of Shepherd's statement indicating he  had not taken
any drugs recently  and without evidence  to the contrary, we  find
the trial court properly accepted Shepherd's plea of guilty.
     Shepherd's assignment of error is overruled.
     Judgment affirmed.
                                -4-
          It  is  ordered that  Appellee  recover of  Appellant its
costs herein taxed.
     The Court finds there were reasonable grounds for this appeal.
     It is ordered that a special  mandate issue out of this  Court
directing  the  Common  Pleas  Court to  carry  this  judgment into
execution.  The  defendant's conviction  having been affirmed,  any
bail pending  appeal is  terminated.   Case remanded  to the  trial
court for execution of sentence.
     A certified  copy of this  entry shall constitute  the mandate
pursuant to Rule 27 of the Rules of Appellate Procedure.
                               PATRICIA ANN BLACKMON, PRESIDING J.
                               JAMES M. PORTER, JUDGE
                               JOHN T. PATTON, JUDGE
     N.B.  This entry  is an announcement of the  court's decision.
See App.R. 22(B),  22(D) and 26(A);  Loc.App.R. 27.  This  decision
will be journalized  and will become the judgment  and order of the
court pursuant to App.R. 22(E) unless a  motion for reconsideration
with supporting brief, per  App.R. 26(A), is filed within  ten (10)
days of the announcement of the  court's decision.  The time period
for review by the Supreme Court of Ohio shall begin to run upon the
.