Barker v. State

259 So. 2d 200
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedMarch 17, 1972
Docket71-108, 71-109
StatusPublished
Cited by30 cases

This text of 259 So. 2d 200 (Barker v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Barker v. State, 259 So. 2d 200 (Fla. Ct. App. 1972).

Opinion

259 So.2d 200 (1972)

James L. BARKER, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Florida, Appellee.

Nos. 71-108, 71-109.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District.

March 17, 1972.

*201 Robert Douglas and Larry D. Goldstein of Brown, Ruiz, Watson & Goldstein, St. Petersburg, for appellant.

Robert L. Shevin, Atty. Gen., Tallahassee, and Warren H. Petersen, Asst. Atty. Gen., Tampa, for appellee.

McNULTY, Judge.

Appellant changed his plea from not guilty to guilty on two charges of obtaining property in return for worthless checks. His sole point on appeal is that he changed his plea to guilty because the trial judge indicated that he would be granted probation. Instead, he was sentenced to two consecutive terms of five years each in the state penitentiary. He now seeks enforcement of his "bargain" for probation.

Peculiarly, appellant did not, and does not now, seek to withdraw his guilty plea pursuant to Rule 1.170(f), RCrP, 33 F.S.A., and consequently does not really attack the judgment herein. He merely attacks the validity of the sentence. In this respect the case differs from the recent Brown v. State[1] in which, after a prison sentence was imposed, the defendant sought to withdraw his guilty plea because he and his counsel "honestly misunderstood" pre-plea comments of the trial judge which led them to believe the accused would receive probation if such guilty plea were entered. The supreme court held that withdrawal of the plea should have been allowed under those circumstances. Here, however, we sail a slightly different course and now find ourselves more involved in the delicate and narrower area of "plea bargaining" or "plea discussion" which, though a venerable *202 practice, has only recently attained widespread respectability.[2]

At the outset, we take this opportunity to acknowledge that such plea discussions have become an absolute necessity in the administration of criminal justice and that they should be sanctioned.[3] It remains only to be decided in each case whether justice has been subserved thereby and, at the same time, whether time honored fears of injustice have been alleviated. These fears concern themselves, of course, with the danger of corrupt influences exerting pressures on law enforcement officials, with whether innocent persons may be influenced to plead guilty for fear of harsher sanctions, with whether, even in the case of a guilty person, his plea is "voluntary" in fact, and finally, with whether society is getting its full and just measure of redress.[4] By giving formal recognition to plea discussion, however, and thereby giving rise to more frequent routine appellate review, much if not all of the fear and uncertainty regarding plea discussions will be obviated by a growing body of law. Additionally, there will be ever increasing implementation of safeguards tending to insulate the administration of criminal justice from realization of such fears.

Notwithstanding their recently acquired mantle of propriety, however, there has been much concern and debate about the trial judge's role in these plea discussions; and the facts of this case bring, we think, some of the inherent problems more clearly into focus. Appellant had originally entered a plea of not guilty to the charges herein. Some considerable time thereafter it appears that his counsel had a discussion with the trial judge in chambers. The record doesn't reveal whether counsel for the state was present, but apparently the appellant himself was not. Later, in open court, counsel for appellant indicated that appellant would change his plea to guilty. The court then conducted a voir dire examination of appellant directed toward a determination of the voluntary, advised, intelligent, knowing and understanding nature of the plea, after which the court said:

"THE COURT: Mr. Barker, of course, I talked with your lawyer with respect to your case before your coming in here to change your plea to guilty. I have gone into your past record with him in this case, and I understand you served eighteen months in the State prison for a similar charge once before. Is that right?
MR. BARKER: Yes, sir."

There was some discussion thereafter relating to some other difficulties, minor in nature, which appellant had had when he employed minors to solicit sales and had not seen to it that they were properly licensed or had work permits. This latter discussion ended as follows:

"THE COURT: All right. Now, based upon these facts that you have just confirmed — I told Mr. Goldstein [appellant's counsel] whether you went to trial before me and were found guilty or whether you plead guilty would not make any difference; I thought the best thing would be to put you on probation. Did he tell you that?
MR. BARKER: He says I could if I was found guilty.
THE COURT: Did he tell you I told him I would put you on probation?
MR. BARKER: No, sir.
THE COURT: Did he say `yes,' or `no?'
*203 MR. BARKER: I told him if — I didn't understand the question. He told me if what I said was true and these were the facts involved —
THE COURT: He actually said whether you went to trial or plead guilty, either way?
MR. BARKER: Yes, sir."

The court thereupon then found the guilty plea to be voluntarily, advisedly and intelligently entered and accepted such plea. He then concluded that arraignment session as follows:

"THE COURT: And I am going to order a pre-sentence investigation and report, and do so order pre-sentence investigation and report from the Florida Probation and Parole Division.
Assuming nothing shows up to the contrary of what we heard, I will put you on probation for three years. I will wait until we have that report.
Anything else you want to tell me at this time? Anything bad you think might come out?
MR. BARKER: No, sir... .
* * * * * *
THE COURT: From what I have heard, it is probably in the best interest of everybody you have the assistance of probation. Maybe they can keep you out of these scrapes."

Some two months later at sentencing, and with little if any preliminary fanfare, the court quickly made known that he had changed his mind about probation. He referred to appellant as a "con man" and alluded to his occupation or practice of using minors to solicit sales of whatever articles were involved. At no time, however, did the court indicate that he thought such occupation was illegal; nor does the record reflect that it is in fact illegal or was conducted in an illegal manner, except, of course, for the reference to appellant's neglecting to secure licenses or permits for the minors involved as had been discussed at the plea change. Moreover, the record does not reveal whether between such plea change and sentencing appellant had continued to be neglectful in this latter respect, nor did the court make a finding thereof. In short, no "new matters" came to light during the pre-sentence investigation, and any matters referred to by the trial judge at sentencing were really an elaboration of the matters discussed with him at the plea change and about which he had made inquiry.

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Bluebook (online)
259 So. 2d 200, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/barker-v-state-fladistctapp-1972.