State v. Weed

373 So. 2d 42, 1979 Fla. App. LEXIS 15163
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedJune 5, 1979
DocketNo. JJ-173
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 373 So. 2d 42 (State v. Weed) 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. Weed, 373 So. 2d 42, 1979 Fla. App. LEXIS 15163 (Fla. Ct. App. 1979).

Opinions

BOOTH, Judge.

This cause is before us on appeal from orders of the trial court granting appellees’ motions for discharge of Count I of first and second amended informations.

Appellees were arrested August 18, 1977, and charged by information filed September 15, 1977, with, Count I, possession of marijuana contrary to Florida Statute section 893.13(l)(e), and, Count II, possession of hashish, contrary to section 893.13(l)(e). Trial on December 28 and 29 of 1977 resulted in a mistrial because the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Thereafter, the State moved to amend Count I of the information to allege that appellees possessed more than 5 grams of marijuana, a felony. The motion states that through clerical error and oversight the original Count I failed to specify any amount of marijuana.

The court allowed the amendment of Count I to charge a felony, holding:

[44]*44“The defendants argue that the State may not amend the information in this case. The Court disagrees. The Court has carefully read the authority cited by the defendants including the case of North Carolina v. Pearce, 395 U.S. 711, 89 S.Ct. 2072, 23 L.Ed.2d 656 (1969); Blackledge v. Perry, 417 U.S. 21, 94 S.Ct. 2098, 40 L.Ed.2d 628 (1974) and U. S. v. Jamison, 505 F.2d 407 (1974). Although these decisions require restrictions on increased charges after mistrials, this does not mean that a higher charge can never be brought; rather, the prosecutor must justify his harsher treatment of the defendants in a way which negates the possibility of vindictiveness. The prosecutor in this case, has set forth his reasons for such increase as well as its factual basis which negate the possibility of the vindictiveness in this case. . . . ”

The correctness of the trial court’s order allowing the amendment is supported by a number of facts of record here which indicate that appellees were not unfairly surprised or prejudiced by the amendment.1 The arrest reports against both appellees charge “possession of marijuana over five grams.” Next, Count I of the original information charges a violation of Florida Statute § 893.13(l)(e) expressly, a subsection of the- statute which provides that its violation is a third degree felony.2 The State has conceded however, that by case law, Count I also had to specify that the amount of marijuana possessed was more than five grams in order to charge a felony.3 Despite the technical deficiency of Count I, appellees proceeded below as though both counts of the information charged felonies. Trial was held, without demand or objection, more than 90 days following arrest, although under the rule of Pouncy v. State, 296 So.2d 625 (Fla.3d DCA 1974) joinder of misdemeanor and felony counts in a single information would have entitled appellees to demand trial within 90 days. No unfair surprise is claimed by the amendment and it was properly allowed by the court.

Two weeks after its order allowing the amendment, however, the trial court entered an order granting defendants’ motion to discharge Count I of the amended information under the speedy trial rule because trial had not been had within 180 days of appellees’ arrest. Thereafter, the State sought to further amend so as to return to the language of the original Count I. The court disallowed this amendment on the grounds that the original charge had been abandoned by the earlier amendment. Count II, unamended, remains to be retried, and is not an issue here.

Because of our ruling on the first of the trial court’s orders, discharging the amended Count I, we do not reach the issue raised as to the second order.

The question presented is whether the amended charge is governed by Rule 3.191(g), Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure, which provides:

“A person who is to be tried again shall be brought to trial within 90 days from the date of declaration of a mistrial by the trial court, the date of an order by the trial court granting a new trial, the [45]*45date of an order by the trial court granting a motion in arrest of judgment, or the date of receipt by the trial court of a mandate, order, or notice of whatever form from an appellate or other reviewing court which makes possible a new trial for the defendant, whichever is last in time.” (e.s.)

We note that the speedy trial rule does not prohibit amendments, nor proscribe enhanced charges. The above quoted subsection of the rule does not exclude amended charges from the 90 day period allowed following mistrial. In State v. Johnson, 354 So.2d 902 (Fla.lst DCA 1978) the original charge against the defendants failed to specify that defendants were in possession of more than five grams of cannabis so as to charge a felony. In that case, as here, the arrest records showed that the defendants were charged at the time of arrest with possession of more than five grams. The allegations necessary to charge the greater offense were held properly allowed by the amendment.

In Homer v. State, 358 So.2d 1176 (Fla.3d DCA 1978), cert. denied 364 So.2d 886 (Fla. 1978), the defendant was initially charged with driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages, and trial was set on the charge. Thereafter, defendant requested and obtained two continuances. Some two months after the accident, the State filed an information charging defendant with vehicular homicide and entered a nolle prosse as to the charge of driving under the influence. Trial on the vehicular homicide charge was had more than 180 days after defendant was taken into custody as a result of the incident upon which the vehicular homicide charge was based. Defendant’s motion for discharge under Rule 3.191, was denied, however, and he was tried and convicted of vehicular homicide. In affirming the conviction, the court stated:

“When Homer requested and was granted a continuance, the time limitations under the speedy trial rule were waived. We further note that the filing of the new information for vehicular homicide, subsequent to the continuance granted to Homer on the initial driving under the influence charge, did not vitiate his waiver or revive the 180 day limitation inasmuch as the charges in both informations were based upon the same conduct or criminal episode . . . ” (e.s.)

In Causey v. State, 307 So.2d 197 (Fla.2nd DCA 1975), the defendant was charged with breaking and entering with intent to commit grand larceny. The trial court erroneously instructed the jury on grand larceny as a lesser included offense and the defendant was convicted of grand larceny. On appeal, the conviction of grand larceny was reversed, but the court held:

“Appellant cannot be retried for breaking and entering with intent to commit grand larceny, since in legal effect he has already been acquitted of that crime . However, nothing would prevent the State from seeking to convict appellant of grand larceny, subject to the requirement of bringing him to trial within ninety days pursuant to Rule 3.191(g), RCrP. ...” (e.s.)

Thus, Causey

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Related

State v. Wilkins
528 So. 2d 1199 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1988)
Weed v. State
411 So. 2d 863 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1982)
Durrance v. Rudd
398 So. 2d 1012 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1981)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
373 So. 2d 42, 1979 Fla. App. LEXIS 15163, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-weed-fladistctapp-1979.