Florence v. State

539 S.E.2d 901, 246 Ga. App. 479, 2000 Fulton County D. Rep. 4085, 2000 Ga. App. LEXIS 1192
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedOctober 2, 2000
DocketA00A1804
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 539 S.E.2d 901 (Florence v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Florence v. State, 539 S.E.2d 901, 246 Ga. App. 479, 2000 Fulton County D. Rep. 4085, 2000 Ga. App. LEXIS 1192 (Ga. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

Barnes, Judge.

Patrick Florence appeals pro se his convictions for cocaine possession and driving without a license. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.

Construed to support the verdict, the evidence showed that a Mitchell County deputy sheriff saw the car in front of him weave several times across the centerline and right-hand line of the road. He turned on his blue lights and activated a videocamera, and the car pulled off the highway. When Florence got out of the car, he was unsteady and slurring his speech. After fumbling through a small notebook, he told the deputy sheriff he did not have his Maryland driver’s license with him. Florence failed two out of three field sobriety tests. The officer gave his dispatcher Florence’s name and date of birth, and information from Maryland indicated that the license was not valid. Based on his driving and the field sobriety tests, the deputy sheriff arrested him for driving without a license and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and then asked permission to search his car for money or cocaine. Florence consented, and the deputy sheriff found two rocks of what a field test revealed to be crack cocaine in the driver’s door pocket and another two rocks on the floorboard. Later forensic testing confirmed that the substance found was cocaine. The State played a videotape to the jury, which showed the stop, arrest, and search from the time the deputy sheriff turned on his blue lights.

1. Florence argues that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress evidence of the cocaine, contending first that he was unlawfully stopped. He asserts that he was not weaving, and *480 thus the deputy sheriff had no probable cause to stop him.

In reviewing a motion to suppress,

[t]he evidence is construed most favorably to uphold the findings and judgment, and the trial court’s findings on disputed facts and credibility are adopted unless they are clearly erroneous. Further, since the trial court sits as the trier of fact, its findings are analogous to a jury verdict and will not be disturbed if there is any evidence to support them.

(Citations omitted.) Morgan v. State, 195 Ga. App. 732, 735 (3) (394 SE2d 639) (1990).

At the hearing on the motion to suppress, the deputy sheriff testified that he stopped Florence after he saw him weave several times across the centerline and the right-hand line of the road. Florence did not testify at the hearing or at trial.

The deputy sheriff was authorized to stop Florence’s car if Florence committed a traffic offense in his presence. O’Keefe v. State, 189 Ga. App. 519, 522 (1) (376 SE2d 406) (1988). “The evidence was sufficient for a rational trier of fact to find that the appellant committed the offense of improper lane usage beyond a reasonable doubt.” Id. Therefore, the trial court did not err in denying Florence’s motion to suppress for lack of probable cause to stop him.

2. Florence next contends that his consent to search his car was not voluntary because he was under arrest when he gave it. Since Florence was lawfully arrested for driving under the influence, whether he consented to the search has no legal significance. Here, the officer

did not exceed the permissible scope of a search incident to arrest under the Fourth Amendment, the Georgia Constitution or OCGA § 17-5-1. To this extent, we must recognize the broad scope of authority granted to police officers in conducting searches of automobiles pursuant to the search incident to arrest exception. In this situation, the authority to search extends to the entire passenger compartment of the automobile.

(Citations and punctuation omitted.) Vega v. State, 236 Ga. App. 319, 320 (512 SE2d 65) (1999); Grabowski v. State, 234 Ga. App. 222, 225 (4) (507 SE2d 472) (1998). The trial court did not err in denying Florence’s motion to suppress evidence of the cocaine found in his car.

3. Florence asserts that the videotape of his arrest was altered. However, the arresting officer testified that no changes, deletions, or additions had been made to the videotape, and Florence did not *481 object at trial when the State moved to admit the videotape into evidence or after the tape was shown to the jury. “As appellant failed to object to this question, thereby raising the issue in the court below, there is nothing for this court to consider on appeal.” Manbeck v. State, 165 Ga. App. 625, 627 (5) (302 SE2d 361) (1983).

4. Florence contends that the cover pages of his trial and hearing transcripts were altered because the charges differed. The cover page of the transcript of the motion to suppress hearing and a status conference showed that Florence was charged with cocaine possession, DUI, and driving with a suspended or revoked license. However, Florence was properly accused of and tried for cocaine possession and driving without a license. “It is axiomatic that harm as well as error must be shown to authorize a reversal by this court. We cannot perceive how the [documents] in question could possibly have been harmful to the appellant.” (Citation and punctuation omitted.) Anderson v. State, 183 Ga. App. 313 (3) (358 SE2d 888) (1987). We find no error.

5. Florence also contends that various statements made at trial were incorrect, such as the trial court’s indication that his former counsel would sit at the counsel table with him to assist with questions of law should the need arise. Again, Florence has not shown that any misstatement, if there were any, caused harm, and therefore we find no error. Anderson v. State, supra, 183 Ga. App. 313 (3).

6. Florence argues that the State’s opening was unconstitutional because it referred to Florence’s wife’s occupation. The record shows that the State asked during voir dire whether any of the potential jurors knew the defendant’s relatives, noting that his wife, Eloise Florence, taught at Bainbridge High School. However, Florence’s failure to object to the question leaves us nothing to consider on appeal. Manbeck v. State, supra, 165 Ga. App. at 627 (5).

7. Florence claims he was unconstitutionally held without bond, but the record shows he was given a $15,000 bond. This enumeration of error is without merit.

8. Florence claims his former counsel was ineffective because in one paragraph of his motion to suppress he erroneously indicated that Florence was a passenger rather than the sole occupant and driver of the car. We cannot consider this portion of Florence’s claim, however, because he did not raise it below in a motion for new trial. See Seese v. State, 235 Ga. App. 181, 183-184 (3) (509 SE2d 94) (1998) (failure to raise ineffective assistance of counsel claim at earliest opportunity results in a waiver of that claim).

Even if Florence had properly raised this issue before the trial court, the record does not show ineffective assistance of counsel.

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Bluebook (online)
539 S.E.2d 901, 246 Ga. App. 479, 2000 Fulton County D. Rep. 4085, 2000 Ga. App. LEXIS 1192, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/florence-v-state-gactapp-2000.