McKinney v. Yawn

625 So. 2d 885, 1993 WL 404575
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedOctober 4, 1993
Docket93-1528
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 625 So. 2d 885 (McKinney v. Yawn) 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
McKinney v. Yawn, 625 So. 2d 885, 1993 WL 404575 (Fla. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

625 So.2d 885 (1993)

Clarence McKinney, Petitioner,
v.
Honorable Theron A. YAWN, Jr., Respondent.

No. 93-1528.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.

October 4, 1993.
Rehearing Denied November 19, 1993.

*886 Robert A. Rush, Gainesville, for petitioner.

Robert A. Butterworth, Atty. Gen. and Charlie McCoy, Asst. Atty. Gen., for respondent.

ZEHMER, Chief Judge.

Petitioner, Clarence McKinney, seeks a writ of prohibition pursuant to rule 3.191, Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure, on grounds that his right to speedy trial was violated and that he is entitled to be discharged on the criminal charges pending against him in circuit court. We have jurisdiction in this proceeding to review the circuit court's order denying discharge. Sherrod v. Franza, 427 So.2d 161 (Fla. 1983). We hold, for the reasons stated below, that petitioner has failed to show he is entitled to issuance of the writ.

In establishing that a defendant may test the jurisdiction of the trial court to proceed with the trial of pending criminal charges if the defendant is entitled to discharge pursuant to rule 3.191 for a speedy trial violation, the supreme court set forth two essential requirements in Sherrod. First, prohibition "will not lie until the defendant has first made a motion for discharge to the trial court and this motion has been denied." 427 So.2d at 164. We construe this requirement to include making the trial court aware of the motion for discharge and obtaining a ruling that denies the motion. Second, "Any factual question should be determined at this hearing, and upon collateral attack by prohibition the findings of fact made by the trial court become conclusive." 427 So.2d at 164. It is evident that this prohibition proceeding is only appropriate to review the legal sufficiency of the order denying discharge; it is not an appropriate proceeding for determining disputed issues of fact or to review the sufficiency of the evidence to support the trial court's findings on which the order denying discharge is based.

I.

The relevant history and facts pertinent to this matter are found in the parties' appendices. McKinney was charged with three criminal offenses: robbery with a deadly weapon, burglary with assault while armed, and felony murder. He was arrested on April 28, 1992, subsequently indicted by the grand jury for Bradford County, and has remained continuously in custody since that *887 date. McKinney, either by motion or by joining in motions filed by codefendant Smith, sought and obtained continuances of trials set in August, September, and November, 1992, and January, 1993. Each continuance was unopposed by the prosecution and each was based, at least in part, on the defendants being unprepared to go to trial. These requests for continuance largely resulted from the state's failure to timely perform its discovery obligations. None of the orders granting a continuance ruled that the continuance would be charged against the state for speedy trial purposes.

Trial of the charges was rescheduled to commence on April 5, 1993. In late March 1993 (from the papers before us it is not entirely clear whether the date was actually March 25, 26, or 29), McKinney served and filed a motion for discharge pursuant to rule 3.191, a motion to compel discovery from the state, and a motion to continue the April 5 trial because of the state's untimely response to discovery requests and orders. McKinney's motion for discharge recited his arrest and incarceration since April 28, 1992, alleged more than 175 days had passed without trial, and contended the trial had not been held because the state was not ready although it had repeatedly announced it was ready. This last allegation was based on the state's having continuously furnished names of new witnesses and information concerning new evidence between March 2 and March 16, 1993. McKinney's motion for continuance was based on the state's providing discovery so late that it precluded him from being ready for trial.

A hearing on pending motions filed by McKinney and codefendant Smith was held on April 1, 1993. Although the record is not entirely clear on this point, McKinney's counsel represented at oral argument that the hearing was set by the court on its own initiative to clear up pending motions before the trial commenced. During the hearing the parties and the court addressed various pending motions filed by both defendants, but there was no direct discussion regarding McKinney's pending motion for discharge. Neither the state nor McKinney's counsel brought that motion to the court's attention during the hearing. However, during a discussion by the court with codefendant Smith and his counsel about Smith's pending demand for speedy trial (McKinney had not filed a specific request for speedy trial), it was determined that Smith was waiving his right to speedy trial, and the following exchange took place:

THE COURT: What does this do to the speedy trial rule as far as Mr. McKinney is concerned, if anything?
MR. CERVONE [Assistant State Attorney]: Nothing. Mr. McKinney has previously waived. He has never filed a specific demand.

Later in the hearing, the following occurred:

[THE COURT:] Now, if I proceed towards granting Mr. Rush's [McKinney's attorney] motion for continuance, you think you can spend that time getting your case ready for trial, or are you going to have to devote it to preparing motions?
MR. CERVONE: We do not anticipate any likelihood of developing more things. We think that what we've developed will be turned over to them through the FDLE in fairly short order. I had hoped that we would have it ready in time for March, and we obviously couldn't make that, but I think that what the Court is saying could be done.
MR. RUSH: Your Honor, from my standpoint, as long as the State gives me this evidence fairly quickly — they said they can get it in a day, but I'd certainly give them at least a week. Based upon that, that's where I'm going to start from, to see if there's anything additional. I want to get this case tried in May. My client wants to get it tried. [W]e tried to get ready for April. And so if the Court would at least give the State a time limit that they know they have to meet, then I'm sure that we'll be able to meet the trial schedule in May.
THE COURT: All right. Let's see if we can work that in here. This is going to be in the form of an order granting Mr. Rush's motion to continue the case, without objection by the State. And in keeping with usual practice, I'll ask you to draw the proposed order, Mr. Rush.

*888 MR. RUSH: Yes, Your Honor.

THE COURT: All right. It will recite, of course, that without objection, that your motion be granted. And it will contain these provisions: that the defendant, McKinney (sic), waives his right to speedy trial — and consents to the continuance, Mr. Replogle [Smith's counsel]?
MR. RUSH: That would be Smith, Your Honor. That's his client.
* * * * * *
THE COURT: All right, sir. Both defendants consent to the continuance, and that Defendant Smith waives his speedy trial rights... .

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
625 So. 2d 885, 1993 WL 404575, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mckinney-v-yawn-fladistctapp-1993.