REX SWEAT, AS SHERIFF OF DUVAL COUNTY, FLORIDA,
v.
BLOCKER PETTIS, EX REL.
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Blocker Pettis was charged with practicing medicine without a license, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced. He later sought habeas corpus relief, claiming the information was defective. The Florida Supreme Court held that he waived any objections by failing to move to quash before pleading guilty and affirmed that habeas corpus is not an appropriate remedy for challenging the sufficiency of an information after conviction.
The court held that Pettis waived all objections to the information by failing to move to quash before or when pleading guilty, and that habeas corpus is not an appropriate substitute for a motion to quash. The information was sufficient to place him on notice of the charge under Section 458.15, and therefore he is not entitled to habeas corpus relief.
“the accused cannot substitute habeas corpus for motion to quash”
Establishes the core holding that habeas corpus is not the proper procedural mechanism for challenging the sufficiency of an information
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceBlocker Pettis was charged by information in two counts on October 18, 1945, with practicing medicine without proper licensure. On November 26, 1945, …
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An information in two counts was filed against Blocker Pettis on October 18th, 1945.
The first count alleged, that Pettis on October 10, 1945, “not then and there being lawfully licensed and authorized to practice medicine in this State, did then and there practice *105medicine in treating one Effie Baker contrary to the form of Section 458.15 Fla. Statutes Annotated.”
On arraignment November 26th appellee entered plea of guilty as to the first count and was adjudged guilty as to such count. Sentence was then suspended. Appellee was not further prosecuted on the second count.
On Decmber 13th 1945, the suspension of sentence was revoked and appellee was sentenced to serve one year in State Prison and in default of payment of $1000.00 fine to serve two years additional imprisonment.
Our records show that appeal was taken from the judgment and sentence on December 14, 1945, and that appeal was dismissed on praecipe of the appellant in that case on March 12, 1946.
Petition for writ of habeas corpus on behalf of appellee was filed March 7, 1946, in Duval County Circuit Court and writ issued the same date. The record here shows that at the time the writ issued appellee was not in custody of the sheriff but at large on a supersedeas bond. However, on March 11th he surrendered himself to the sheriff, which was just a few minutes prior to the return time named in the writ. On hearing, he was discharged and thereupon the sheriff perfected his appeal to this Court.
Appellee relies on the case of Whitehurst v. State, 105 Fla. 574, 141 So. 878. It is to be observed that the opinion in that case was filed on May 26th, 1932, which was long prior to the enactment of our Criminal Procedure Act, being Chapter 19554 Acts of 1939.
This count of the information in this case cannot be said to wholly fail to state a violation of the Criminal Laws of Florida because whether it was intended to charge that the accused practiced medicine without a license from the State Board of Medical Examiners as required by Section 458.15 Fla. Statutes, 1941 (same F.S.A.), or that the accused violated the statute against practicing medicine without having obtained an occupational license as required by Section 205.52 Fla. Statutes 1941 (same F.S.A.), the fact remains-that it does charge that the accused was practicing the profession of a physician without having obtained a license authorizing him *106to do so and specifically charged that the license which he failed to have was that- which was required under Sec. 458.15 Fla. Statutes Annotated.
There can be no doubt that the information here under consideration was vulnerable on motion to quash but no such motion was made and the accused cannot substitute habeas corpus for motion to quash. Taylor v. Chapman, 127 Fla. 401, 173 So. 143; in re Robinson, 73 Fla. 1068, 75 So. 604, L.R.A. 1918B 1148.
Section 142 Criminal Procedure Act, 1939, provides, in part:
“Failure to move to quash — effect of- — exceptions. If the defendant does not move to quash the indictment or information before or at the time he pleads thereto he shall be taken to have waived all objections which are grounds for a motion to quash.”
The appellant here contends that because the Petitioner was not in custody at the time he presented his application for habeas corpus he was not entitled to be heard. The record shows that he was technically in custody at the time the court below ruled on his application and discharged him, So, whether or not he was in custody at the time of the suing of the writ is a technical question which we are not now called upon to determine, for the reason above stated.
We hold that the court of the information to which the appellee pleaded guilty and under which he was sentenced was sufficient to put him on notice that he was charged with violation of Sec. 458.15 Fla. Statutes 1941 (same F.S.A.) and that, therefore, after pleading guilty, being adjudged guilty and sentenced under that count of the information, he is not entitled to be discharged under habeas corpus.
The judgment appealed from is reversed and the cause remanded with directions that the petitioner in the court below be remanded to custody.
It is so ordered.
TERRELL, BROWN, BUFORD, THOMAS and ADAMS, JJ., concur.
CHAPMAN, C. J., dissents.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
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Hajdu v. State, 189 So. 2d 230 (Fla. 3d DCA 1966)…al court erred in denying his motion to quash the Information, in that it failed to charge him with the violation of any law in Florida in that it was vague, indefinite and uncertain. We do not find this point to be well taken. See: Sweat v. Pettis, 158 Fla. 104, 27 So. 2d 827; Gibbs v. Mayo, Fla. 1955, 81 So. 2d 739; Drozewski v. State, Fla.1955, 84 So. 2d 329; State v. Brown, Fla.App.1958, 101 So. 2d 599. The appellant also contends the trial court erred in denying his motion for mistrial, on the grounds…
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Hitson v. Mayo, 99 So. 2d 297 (Fla. 1957)…have been subject to quashal or supplementation by a bill of particulars timely presented by motion, the defendant will not be released from custody in a habeas corpus proceeding. Tubb v. Mayo, 1937, 128 Fla. 190, 174 So. 325; Sweat v. Pettis, 1946, 158 Fla. 104, 27 So. 2d 827. Since we have already stated that the information charged the crime delineated by § 843.11, Florida Statutes, it is not void for failure to charge an act which is punishable as a crime. The nature of the proviso in the statute is su…
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State v. Stack, 33 Fla. Supp. 64 (Broward Cty. Cir. Ct. 1969)…eading thereto or within the twenty-day period allowed by the trial court, and that an accused cannot substitute habeas corpus for a motion to quash. §909.06, Florida Statutes; Crossley v. State, Fla.App. 1967, 200 So. 2d 640; Sweat v. Pettis, 1946, 158 Fla. 104, 27 So. 2d 827. In this regard the state notes that the petitioners accepted the information as sufficient on at least four occasions — first, when they entered their pleas of not guilty and failed to file their motion to quash within the time provi…1 / 2
Previewing 3 of 4 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- In re Robinson, 73 Fla. 1068 (Fla. 1917)
- Taylor v. Chapman, 127 Fla. 401 (Fla. 1937)
- Whitehurst v. State, 105 Fla. 574 (Fla. 1932)