Johnson v. Lindsey

103 So. 419, 89 Fla. 143
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedFebruary 21, 1925
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 103 So. 419 (Johnson v. Lindsey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Johnson v. Lindsey, 103 So. 419, 89 Fla. 143 (Fla. 1925).

Opinion

Browne, J.

Theodore Johnson, convicted in Pinellas County on the 16th of January, 1923, of unlawfully having in his possession intoxicating liquor, was sentenced to pay a fine of- $400.00, and to serve a period of six months in the county jail.

The court added to its sentence, "but the six (6) months in the county jail be suspended on the good behavior of Theodore Johnson."

On the 3rd day of July, 1924, a commitment was issued upon the judgment and sentence imposed on the 16th of January, 1923, and the sheriff of Hillsborough County took the petitioner in custody.' No commitment was issued prior to the third day of July, 1924. The defendant Johnson remained continuously in the county of Pinellas, and was not taken in custody nor confined in jail, although the judgment and sentence went into operation on the 16th of .January, 1923, when the sentence was imposed.

-On 'the 3rd day of July, 1924, the sheriff of Pinellas County took the petitioner in custody and. delivered him to the sheriff of Hillsborough County, who was to deliver him *145 to the Superintendent of Convicts of Hillsborough County to work upon the public roads of that county, under an arrangement existing between the County Commissioners of Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties, whereby a person sentenced to hard labor in the county jail of Pinellas County should be transferred to Hillsborough County to serve his sentence.

The commitment was not issued until nearly eighteen months after the sentence of six months imprisonment was imposed, notwithstanding the prisoner remained in Pinellas County all that time, and could have been taken in custody by the sheriff at any time, and confined in jail under the terms of the sentence.

While the prisoner was in the custody of the sheriff of Hillsborough County, ho applied for and obtained a writ of habeas corpus.

Prior to a hearing on the Avrit, notice Avas given to the State Attorney of the 13th Circuit for Hillsborough county, that petitioner had applied for and obtained a writ of habeas corpus, and that the Hon. F. M. Robles, Judge of. that court, had ordered the production of the body of Johnson before him on July 9, 1924.

There was a hearing before Judge Robles, at which time it is alleged that C. B. Parkhill, State Attorney for the 13th Circuit, was present.

The sheriff of Hillsborough County made return to the writ that he was holding Johnson in custody by virtue of a commitment issued out of the County Court of Pinellas County, and that Johnson had been delivered to him together with the commitment, by the sheriff of Pinellas County with directions that Johnson should be delivered to the Superintendent of Convicts of Hillsborough County pursuant to an arrangement between the County Commissioners of Hillsborough County and Pinellas CoAmty, *146 whereby county convicts of Pinellas County are contracted to work on the public roads of Hillsborough County.

A copy of the commitment was attached to the sheriff’s return from which it appeared that it was to enforce the penalty imposed by the County Court of Pinellas County on January 16, 1923. .

After hearing arguments of counsel for petitioner and the State Attorney, the Circuit Judge found that Johnson had “fully expiated the sentence imposed upon him by the County Court of Pinellas County, Florida, on the 16th day of January, 19'23, under and by virtue of which judgment and sentence the commitment in the possession of W. C. Spencer, sheriff of Hillsborough County, was issued under the alleged authority whereof the said Spencer (sheriff) as aforesaid claims to hold petitioner; that the said petitioner Theodore Johnson is unlawfully deprived of his lib-, erty within the limits of Hillsborough County,. Florida, within the jurisdiction of this court, and no sufficient cause for the detention of Theodore Johnson appearing,” it was “Ordered and adjudged that in view of the expiation of the sentence aforesaid and the unlawful imprisonment of the petitioner Theodore Johnson as aforesaid, that W. C. Spencer, sheriff of Hillsborough County, Florida, the respondent named in said petition, be and he is hereby ordered forthwith to release and discharge said Theodore Johnson from the imprisonment and detention under the commitment aforesaid.”

The petitioner avers that immediately upon the issuance of the order of the Circuit Judge that he be discharged from custody, he was re-arrested by the sheriff of Hills-borough County and delivered- to the sheriff of Pinellas County, and by him confined in jail in Pinellas County. Whereupon he applied for and obtained a writ of habeas corpus from the Judge of the Circuit Court of Pinellas County.

*147 The sheriff of Pinellas County filed a motion to quash the writ of habeas corpus setting up certain grounds, which we will dispose of in their order.

The petition for habeas corpus duly and properly set out all matters essential to bring before the court all questions necessary for the proper consideration and determination of the issues.

The motion to quash the writ of habeas corpus is based upon alleged insufficiencies and defects in the petition upon which it was issued.

This court in passing upon the appropriateness of a motion to quash a writ of habeas corpus because of defects in the petition, said: “We know of no such practice as that of moving to quash a writ of habeas corpus because of defects in the petition upon which it was issued. The inquiry in such cases is not as to the technical formality of the showing made to the court for the issuance of the writ, but as to the legality of the alleged detention of the prisoner. In such inquiry the parties are not limited to the matters specifically set forth in the petition for the writ, but may go outside of these and enquire into any matter that affects the legality of the detention. The writ of habeas corpus is a writ of right and is sometimes issued upon very informal application. In the history of this court such a writ was issued by this court upon receipt by it of an informal letter from a colored prisoner in jail, and upon the hearing he was discharged from custody. Ex Parte Pells, 28 Fla. 67, 9 South. Rep. 833.” Crooms v. Schad, 51 Fla. 168, 40 South. Rep. 497.

The court sustained the motion to quash and remanded the prisoner and this is assigned as error.

The first ground of the motion to quash is that the petition on which the writ was based is bad, because it shows that “W. S. Lindsey holds the petitioner in his official capacity as sheriff of Pinellas County, Florida, and the pe *148 tition and the writ are addressed to him individually.” The petitioner alleged that he is unlawfully deprived of his liberty by “W. S. Lindsey, Sheriff of Pinellas County.” The writ is addressed to ‘ ‘ W. L. Lindsey, Sheriff of Pinellas County, Florida, and his deputies and to each and every one of them.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
103 So. 419, 89 Fla. 143, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnson-v-lindsey-fla-1925.