David Lee Brown v. State of Florida

221 So. 3d 731, 2017 WL 2373263, 2017 Fla. App. LEXIS 7885
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedJune 1, 2017
DocketCASE NO. 1D16-1559
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 221 So. 3d 731 (David Lee Brown v. State of Florida) 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
David Lee Brown v. State of Florida, 221 So. 3d 731, 2017 WL 2373263, 2017 Fla. App. LEXIS 7885 (Fla. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

WOLF, J.

Appellant challenges the trial court’s order revoking his probation for two violations: committing the new law violation of failure to register as a sex offender by failing to register a cell phone number, and using intoxicants to excess. Appellant raises several arguments, but we find only two merit discussion: (1) whether the State presented sufficient evidence that appellant used the cell phone to the extent that he was required to register it; and (2) whether the probation officer’s testimony that appellant was intoxicated during a visit was sufficient to show that he used intoxicants to excess. We find there was sufficient evidence on both counts and affirm.

Facts

In November 2014, appellant pled no contest to the offense of failure to register as a sex offender, and the court sentenced him to 60 months’ probation. In February 2016, the State filed an affidavit of violation of probation alleging that appellant both committed the new law violation of failure to register as a sex offender and violated the probation condition that he “not use intoxicants to excess.”

At a hearing, appellant’s probation officer testified that she and a United States marshal conducted a drop-in visit on appellant. The probation officer testified that upon arrival, she saw a white cell phone sitting next to appellant. She “asked him could I see his cell phone, and he handed me that” white phone. Appellant said “the phone belonged to his wife and he did not put it in his name because then he would have to register it.” The U.S. marshal similarly testified that appellant said “the phone was in his wife’s name, and that they did that purposefully, because if they left it in his wife’s name he would not have to register it.”

*733 Additionally, appellant’s probation officer testified that appellant seemed intoxicated during the encounter. When she asked him to produce his identification, he •handed her his credit card. She testified that “[h]is eyes were glassed over and he was leaning back and forth. He said'he had júst drunk a couple of beers.” She stated there was a beer sitting on the ground right next to appellant. There was also catnip on the couch, and someone had used the cell phone to conduct a search on the effects of smoking catnip.

Appellant’s wife testified that she had two phones, one of which was the number that appellant had registered as belonging to him and the other she used for herself. She testified that on the day in question, her phone was dead, so she left it on the charger and took appellant’s phone. On cross-examination, she stated that although she usually left appellant with the phone that was registered as belonging to him, sometimes they would swap and he would use her phone. She testified that appellant would text and call his friends on her phone.

Appellant testified the cell phone had been in his hand when he answered the door because he had been playing a game on it, and the probation officer immediately asked for it. Appellant testified he told the officer and the marshal that the phone belonged to his wife, and he had been drinking and did not understand their questions. When asked if it was “unusual” for him to use his wife’s phone, he testified that he “play[ed] the games all the time” on it. He further testified that when he was at home, his wife would leave the phone so that she could call him and wake him up for work. He stated that “sometimes” he would take the phone to work with him so that he and his wife could call each other.

Appellant conceded that although he claimed the phone found in his' possession belonged to his wife, her name was listed in the phone’s contacts. The number that was listed as belonging to her was the number that appellant had registered as his own phone number.

The court found that appellant violated the terms of his probation both by committing the new law' violation of failure to register as a sex offender and by using intoxicants to excess. The court revoked appellant’s probation and sentenced him to 60 months in prison.

Analysis

“ ‘To establish a violation of probation, the prosecution must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that a probationer willfully violated a substantial condition of probation.’ ” White v. State, 76 So.3d 410, 411 (Fla. 1st DCA 2012) (quoting Van Wagner v. State, 677 So.2d 314, 316 (Fla. 1st DCA 1996)). Where the State alleges that the probationer violated the terms of probation by committing a new law violation, “[pjroof sufficient to support a criminal conviction is not required .... The state need only show by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant committed the offense charged.” Robinson v. State, 609 So.2d 89, 90 (Fla. 1st DCA 1992) (citing Griffin v. State, 603 So.2d 48, 50 (Fla. 1st DCA 1992)).

The trial court has “ ‘broad judicial discretion to determine whether the conditions of the probation have been violated, and, therefore, whether the revocation of probation is in order.’ ” Lawson v. State, 969 So.2d 222, 229 (Fla. 2007) (quoting State ex rel. Roberts v. Cochran, 140 So.2d 597, 599 (Fla. 1962)). Thus, this court reviews the ultimate decision to revoke probation for an abuse of discretion. Id. However, we first assess whether the factual findings supporting the court’s decision are supported by competent, substan *734 tial evidence. Rodgers v. State, 171 So.3d 236, 238 (Fla. 1st DCA 2015); Savage v. State, 120 So.3d 619, 621 (Fla. 2d DCA 2013).

1. Failure to Register

Appellant argues that the trial court erred in finding he committed the new law violation of failure to register as ,a sex offender because the State’s evidence was insufficient to prove that the cellular phone in his possession during the drop-in visit belonged to him or that he used the phone frequently enough to be required-to register that phone’s number under section 943.0435, Florida Statutes (2014).

Section 943.0435(2)(b) requires the offender to register in the county in which he was convicted within 48 hours after conviction and to provide “... all home telephone numbers and cellular telephone numbers required to be provided pursuant to paragraph (4)(e).” (Emphasis added). Subsection (4)(e)(2) states that the offender “shall register ah. changes to home telephone numbers and cellular telephone numbers, including added and deleted numbers.” § 943.0435(4)(e)(2), Fla. Stat. (emphasis added).

Here, appellant argues the phone did not belong to him, and the State did not show that he used the phone frequently enough to be required to register it under section 943.0435. However, under the plain language of the statute, there is no minimum-use or frequency threshold required to trigger the registration requirement. The plain language of the statute states that all phone numbers must be registered. § 943,0435(4)(e), Fla. Stat. Evidence that an offender had control over a phone and used that phone can be sufficient to trigger the registration requirement.

Here, there was competent, substantial evidence to prove appellant had control over and used the phone that he alleged was his wife’s. Appellant’s wife testified that she would sometimes leave the unregistered phone with appellant for him to use, and he used it to text and call his friends.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
221 So. 3d 731, 2017 WL 2373263, 2017 Fla. App. LEXIS 7885, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/david-lee-brown-v-state-of-florida-fladistctapp-2017.