Holliday v. State

104 So. 2d 137
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedMarch 18, 1958
DocketA-95
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 104 So. 2d 137 (Holliday 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
Holliday v. State, 104 So. 2d 137 (Fla. Ct. App. 1958).

Opinion

104 So.2d 137 (1958)

Fred HOLLIDAY, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Florida, Appellee.

No. A-95.

District Court of Appeal of Florida. First District.

March 18, 1958.
Rehearing Denied July 3, 1958.

*139 R. Worth Moore and Truett & Watkins, Tallahassee, for appellant.

Richard W. Ervin, Atty. Gen., and Odis M. Henderson, Sp. Asst. Atty. Gen., for appellee.

STURGIS, Chief Judge.

Omitting the formal parts, the first count of an information under F.S. Sec. 849.09, F.S.A. charged appellant with having set up, promoted and conducted a lottery for money, commonly known as Cuba or bolita, the second count charged him with having aided in such lottery by receiving and "taking into possession money, tally or score sheet and record showing the betting on said lottery," and the third count charged him with having been "interested in or connected with" such lottery "in that he received or collected record of the sale of chances" thereon. The trial court denied his motion to suppress certain evidence that admittedly was material to conviction, and also denied his motion for a directed verdict. The jury acquitted him of the first count, was unable to reach a verdict on the second count, resulting in a mistrial on that count, and found him "guilty of count three," whereupon he was adjudged guilty of the offense charged by the third count and sentenced to imprisonment in the county jail for one year, from which sentence and judgment he appeals.

Appellant contends that the trial court erred (1) in denying the motion to suppress the evidence, (2) in denying the motion for directed verdict, and (3) in entering the judgment and sentence on the verdict rendered.

The essential facts surrounding the seizure of the bolita records that formed the subject of the motion to suppress evidence — seized by a civilian investigator who on the basis of its contraband character made the arrest — are analogous to those in Mitchell v. State, Fla., 60 So.2d 726, in which the seizure was held to be lawful. Appellant seeks to distinguish the facts in the case on review from those in the Mitchell case on the premise that Mitchell surreptitiously undertook, in the presence of the investigator and before the latter in any manner interfered with Mitchell's movements, to rid his person of the subject evidence, whereas in the case on review the investigator, before any such attempt by the appellant, called out to appellant, "Just a minute, Fred," and repeated it when appellant did not stop, at which point appellant, fearing or suspecting that the investigator was an officer, undertook to get rid of the evidence in question. From this premise it is argued that since appellant was walking away from the investigator when the mentioned words were spoken, since he stopped only in response thereto, since he recognized the investigator as a person whom he had formerly known to be an officer of the law and yet believed him to be such, and since it was upon such belief that he undertook to rid his person of the contraband evidence, it follows that the arrest, which occurred when the investigator discovered that the subject evidence was in fact contraband, related back to the time appellant was hailed by the mentioned words addressed to him; that since no *140 probable cause existed at that time, the subsequent arrest was void, and rendered the seizure of evidence void as well. We cannot agree.

Words so spoken by a civilian in common parlance have no connotation of arresting the party to whom they are addressed. The act of the appellant in undertaking to rid his person of the contraband was voluntary. The trial court properly denied the motion to suppress.

The crime under discussion and other crimes relating to lotteries are defined and the punishment prescribed by F.S. Sec. 849.09, F.S.A. The crimes defined in the first four lettered paragraphs of subsection (1) of the statute are punishable by imprisonment in the state prison, hence are felonies. Article XVI, Section 25, Constitution of Florida (1885), F.S.A. Those defined in the remaining six lettered paragraphs of said subsection are misdemeanors except as to second offenders, when they are felonies. No second offense was charged by the information in question.

Appellant contends, and we agree, that the third count of the information, as above quoted in part, charged him with the felony defined by Sec. 849.09(1) (d), which provides that it is unlawful to:

"(d) Aid or assist in the setting up, promoting or conducting of any lottery or lottery drawing, whether by writing, printing or in any other manner whatsoever, or be interested in or connected in any way with any lottery or lottery drawing; * * *"

We further agree with appellant's contention that the language of the verdict and judgment can only be construed as having reference to a conviction of the felony defined in said paragraph (d) of the statute.

The state contends that the verdict, judgment and sentence were for conviction of the misdemeanor defined in paragraph (h) of the statute, and upon this contention undertakes to justify the sentence of imprisonment in the county jail. Paragraph (h) of the statute makes it unlawful for one to:

"(h) Have in his possession any lottery ticket, or any evidence of any share or right, in any lottery ticket, or in any lottery scheme or device, whether such ticket or evidence of share or right represents an interest in a live lottery not yet played or whether it represents, or has represented, an interest in a lottery that has already been played; * * *"

Casual inspection of count three of the information reflects that it is not sufficiently broad to put the appellant on notice that he was being charged with having had "in his possession" any of the contrabrand specified in said paragraph (h). On the contrary, this count charges him with having an "interest in" or being "connected in any way with a lottery or lottery drawing," which words substantially track part of the language of said paragraph (d). We are compelled, therefore, to conclude that it was never the intent to charge appellant with either of the misdemeanors or with the felony prescribed for second offenders, or that if such was the intent, the information fails to definitely or adequately state it.

We are supported in our conclusions by the record on appeal, from which it is evident that if count three (3) of the information can be made to embrace any crime other than the felony defined by paragraph (d) of subsection (1) of the statute, it could with equal force be made applicable to any of the misdemeanors defined by the last six lettered paragraphs of that subsection, rather than only paragraph (h) as the state contends. We hold that the verdict and adjudication of guilt was solely of the felony defined by said paragraph (d).

We do not depart from the rule announced in Nelson v. State, Fla., 83 So.2d 687, to the effect that one charged with a felony under F.S. Sec. 849.09, F.S.A. may *141 be convicted of a misdemeanor embodied therein where the information by apt language alleges the commission of acts which constitute the misdemeanor. The cited case affirmed conviction of defendant for the misdemeanor resulting from possession

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Bluebook (online)
104 So. 2d 137, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/holliday-v-state-fladistctapp-1958.