Masters v. State

344 So. 2d 616
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedApril 7, 1977
DocketCC-26
StatusPublished
Cited by31 cases

This text of 344 So. 2d 616 (Masters 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
Masters v. State, 344 So. 2d 616 (Fla. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinion

344 So.2d 616 (1977)

Matthew Allen MASTERS, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Florida, Appellee.

No. CC-26.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.

April 7, 1977.
Rehearing Denied May 3, 1977.

*617 Ronald A. Nour, Daytona Beach, for appellant.

Robert L. Shevin, Atty. Gen., Patti Englander, Asst. Atty. Gen., for appellee.

MASON, ERNEST E. (Retired), Associate Judge.

On the 17th day of February, 1975, the State Attorney for the Seventh Judicial Circuit of Florida filed with the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Volusia County an amended information in three counts charging the appellant (defendant below) with certain alleged drug offenses.

The first count charges that the appellant did on October 22, 1974, unlawfully possess more than five grams of cannabis. The second count charges that the appellant did on the same day unlawfully sell such cannabis. The third count charges that the appellant did on the same day unlawfully possess less than five grams of cannabis. An original information had been filed in the same court on February 7, 1975, charging the same offenses with only one difference and that was as to the site of the alleged offenses charged in counts one and two. This original information alleged the site as having been in Daytona Beach as to these two offenses while the amended information alleged the site was in Port Orange, but in the same county.

After much pre-trial skirmishing the case was tried on May 30th, 1975, before a jury, resulting in verdicts of guilty as to all three counts of the amended information as charged. Thereafter on April 23, 1975, the trial judge adjudged appellant guilty of each offense as charged and sentenced him to four years imprisonment under each of the first two counts, such sentences to run concurrently. As to count three, a misdemeanor charge, the court sentenced appellant to a term of eleven months in the county jail, to run concurrently with the sentence imposed under count one. As to counts one and two the sentences were to the custody of the Division of Corrections.

The State in its brief has made two concessions as to errors by the trial judge. First, the State concedes that under the single transaction rule the trial judge should have sentenced appellant to only one term of imprisonment, and that the concurrent sentences must be voided and only one sentence imposed.

The other concession of error concerns the misdemeanor charge contained in count three. The State concedes that inasmuch as appellant was not brought to trial within ninety days of his arrest he should have been discharged as to this charge, and that the conviction and sentence thereon is null and void. As to this charge we note that not only was the appellant not tried within *618 ninety days of his arrest but no information was filed as to this charge until well after ninety days had transpired following such arrest. Appellant was arrested October 22nd, 1974.

Due to these concessions on the part of appellee our consideration of the assignments of error raised by the appellant is thereby limited to the validity of appellant's conviction under counts one and two.

Appellant has raised several points on appeal but our study of the entire record leads us to conclude that there is no merit to any of them except the point posed by assignment number seven. This assignment is predicated upon the trial court's re-assembling of the jury after its discharge following the publication of its verdicts as to the three counts of the information for the stated purpose of clarification of its verdict as to count one. To arrive at the proper decision by this court as to this assignment of error a brief chronological recitation of the events which transpired in the courtroom concerning the receipt and publication of the jury's verdicts, their publication, the jury's discharge by the court, its recall by the court for further consideration and clarification of its verdict as to count one, the jury's retiring to the jury room for such reconsideration upon the court's instruction and direction, the return of the jury after such reconsideration, the announcement and publication of the jury's reconsidered verdict as to count one and the court's polling of the jury upon its own motion after such publication.

However, before indulging in such recitation we note that the trial court's charge to the jury before their initial retirement to consider their verdicts was very complete. Since the error alleged concerns only count one (appellant making no objection as to the published verdicts as to counts two and three) it is well that we note that as to count one the court, after properly defining the elements of the offenses of the unlawful possession and sale or delivery of marijuana, and after informing the jury that the charges contained the offense of an attempt to commit the particular crime, instructed the jury as to the alternatives presented to it concerning its decision as to this count in the following language:

"Now, the information charges within count one, unlawful possession of more than five grams of cannabis which includes as a matter of law the lesser crime of attempted possession of more than five grams of cannabis; unlawful possession of less than five grams of cannabis."

As to each count of the information the court instructed the jury that it should return such verdict as would reflect its decision as to such count, whether of guilty or not guilty; and if guilty, then as to the degree of the offense charged with the jury found had been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Further, the court instructed that if the verdict was guilty under one or more of the three counts, the jury should find a verdict of guilty for the highest offense charged and which had been proved beyond a reasonable doubt as to such count or counts. And that if no offense charged in a count had been proved beyond a reasonable doubt, then a verdict of not guilty as to that particular count should be returned.

The court at the conclusion of its charge handed to the jury verdict forms as to each count, instructing the jury to return as to each count the verdict form signed by its foreman which reflected the jury's decision as to such. Whereupon the jury retired to consider its verdicts. After a few minutes the jury returned to the jury box and requested further clarification as to its duty under count two of the information. The court gave further instruction as to this count to the apparent satisfaction of the jury. Upon a second return to the jury box the jury announced its verdicts as follows: "guilty of unlawful possession of controlled substance, to-wit: cannabis, in a quantity less than five grams, as to count one ..."; "guilty as charged in the information of unlawful sale and delivery of controlled substance as to count two ..."; and "guilty as charged in the information of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, to-wit; cannabis, in the *619 quantity of less than five grams, as to count three ..."

After reading the verdicts the court announced that they appeared to be in proper form and instructed the clerk to publish them. The clerk did so, following which the court inquired if either counsel desired that the jury be polled. Both stated that they did not. Thereupon the court discharged the jury, advising them that they could go their respective ways for the term.

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Bluebook (online)
344 So. 2d 616, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/masters-v-state-fladistctapp-1977.