State v. LeCroy

435 So. 2d 354
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedJuly 27, 1983
Docket82-60
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 435 So. 2d 354 (State v. LeCroy) 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
State v. LeCroy, 435 So. 2d 354 (Fla. Ct. App. 1983).

Opinion

435 So.2d 354 (1983)

STATE of Florida, Appellant,
v.
Cleo D. LeCROY and Jon M. LeCroy, Appellees.

No. 82-60.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.

July 27, 1983.

*355 Jim Smith, Atty. Gen., Tallahassee, Stewart J. Bellus and Marlyn Altman, Asst. Attys. Gen., West Palm Beach, for appellant.

James L. Eisenberg of Green, Eisenberg & Cohen, West Palm Beach, for appellee — Cleo D. LeCroy.

Michael Dubiner of Dubiner & Blumberg, West Palm Beach, for appellee — Jon M. LeCroy.

HERSEY, Judge.

The state appeals from an order which determined several pretrial motions adversely to the prosecution. Our recitation of facts will be limited to those essential to a review of the pertinent holdings of the trial court.

Appellees were indicted on five counts, three of which are material here.

Counts THREE and FOUR of the indictment, alleging robbery, were dismissed for failure "to allege the essential element of an intent to permanently deprive ... the respective owners of their property stolen therein."

Those counts provide:

COUNT THREE
The Grand Jurors of the State of Florida, inquiring in and for the body of said County of Palm Beach, upon their oaths do present that CLEO DOUGLAS LeCROY and JON MICHELE LeCROY on the 4th day of JANUARY, 1981, in the County of Palm Beach and State of Florida, unlawfully by force, violence, assault or putting in fear, did feloniously rob, steal and take away from the person or custody of another, to-wit: JOHN HARDEMAN, III, a 30.06 rifle and a wallet with good and lawful currency of the United States of America in denominations to the State Attorney unknown of the value of more than one hundred dollars, and in the course of committing the robbery was armed with a certain firearm or other deadly weapon, to-wit: a gun, contrary to Florida Statute 812.13(2)(a),
COUNT FOUR
The Grand Jurors of the State of Florida, inquiring in and for the body of said County of Palm Beach, upon their oaths do present that CLEO DOUGLAS LeCROY and JON MICHELE LeCROY on the 4th day of JANUARY, 1981, in the County of Palm Beach and State of Florida, unlawfully by force, violence, assault or putting in fear, did feloniously rob, steal and take away from the person or custody of another, to-wit: GAIL HARDEMAN, a .38 caliber revolver of a value of more than one hundred dollars, and in the course of committing the robbery *356 was armed with a certain firearm or other deadly weapon, to-wit: a gun, contrary to Florida Statute 812.13(2)(a), ... .

The "intent to deprive" is an essential element of the crime of robbery. Bell v. State, 394 So.2d 979 (Fla. 1981). While the counts in question do not contain the specific language "with the intent to deprive" they do contain an allegation that the property was taken "unlawfully by force," and that appellees did "feloniously rob, steal and take away" the items in question. These terms are sufficient to apprise appellees of the nature of the crimes of which they are accused and are clearly not "so vague, indistinct and indefinite as to mislead the accused and embarrass him in the preparation of his defense." Fla.R.Crim.P. 3.140(o). See Fountain v. State, 92 Fla. 262, 109 So. 463 (1926). "Indictments and informations should be upheld if they are in substantial compliance with the law." State v. Barnett, 344 So.2d 863, 865 (Fla. 2d DCA 1977). Accordingly, we hold that it was error to dismiss these counts of the indictment.

Count V was also dismissed; however, we find no error in that aspect of the order and therefore affirm in that respect.

Various defense motions to suppress statements and other evidence were considered by the trial court. As a result, five statements, two of Cleo Douglas LeCroy's and three of Jon Michele LeCroy's, were suppressed. If the sole test to be applied in appraising the voluntariness of these statements was the traditional one of whether the statements were in fact given voluntarily and without coercion or inducement, we would find them admissible. It is not enough, however, for the state to meet the challenge of factual voluntariness. In addition to being voluntary in fact, the statements must also have been legally voluntary; that is, the Miranda criteria must be met. Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966).

As to both appellees, the Miranda warnings were read on more than one occasion. As to each, however, the following statement was also read (apparently under a police procedure for questioning a disinterested witness rather than the criminally accused):

This statement is taken primarily in order to refresh your memory at the time you may be called upon to testify, if and when this matter goes to court.

We have previously affirmed a conviction in a case involving similar language where the trial court found the statement voluntary in spite of this language. Knowles v. State, 407 So.2d 259 (Fla. 4th DCA 1981) (per curiam affirmed. Anstead, J., concurs specially with opinion). The trial court here came to a different conclusion and suppressed the statements. The first and primary requirement of Miranda is:

At the outset, if a person in custody is to be subjected to interrogation, he must first be informed in clear and unequivocal terms that he has the right to remain silent. For those unaware of the privilege, the warning is needed simply to make them aware of it — the threshold requirement for an intelligent decision as to its exercise. More important, such a warning is an absolute prerequisite in overcoming the inherent pressures of the interrogation atmosphere. [Emphasis added.]

384 U.S. at 467-468, 86 S.Ct. at 1624.

... .
The warning of the right to remain silent must be accompanied by the explanation that anything said can and will be used against the individual in court. This warning is needed in order to make him aware not only of the privilege, but also of the consequences of forgoing it. It is only through an awareness of these consequences that there can be any assurance of real understanding and intelligent exercise of the privilege. Moreover, this warning may serve to make the individual more acutely aware that he is faced with a phase of the adversary system — that he is not in the presence of persons acting solely in his interest.

384 U.S. at 469, 86 S.Ct. at 1625.

The Miranda court was careful to point out that dilution of the warnings would not be tolerated. The opinion continues:

*357 Moreover, any evidence that the accused was threatened, tricked, or cajoled into a waiver will, of course, show that the defendant did not voluntarily waive his privilege. The requirement of warnings and waiver of rights is a fundamental with respect to the Fifth Amendment privilege and not simply a preliminary ritual to existing methods of interrogation.

384 U.S. at 476, 86 S.Ct. at 1628.

There can be no doubt that telling an individual during custodial interrogation that his statement is being taken primarily for the purpose of refreshing his recollection is a dilution of the Miranda warning and we hereby hold that it is a fatal one.

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Related

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868 So. 2d 1276 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2004)
State v. CF
798 So. 2d 751 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2001)
State v. Walton
565 So. 2d 381 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1990)
LeCroy v. State
533 So. 2d 750 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1988)
State v. Ruiz
502 So. 2d 87 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1987)
Thomas v. State
494 So. 2d 248 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1986)
State v. LeCroy
461 So. 2d 88 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1984)
Stanley v. State
459 So. 2d 494 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1984)

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Bluebook (online)
435 So. 2d 354, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-lecroy-fladistctapp-1983.