DAVID FRY, JR., PETITIONER,
v.
DON MORELAND, SHERIFF, MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA, RESPONDENT
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Petitioner sought habeas corpus relief claiming his competency hearing was held outside the 30-day deadline required by Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.212(b)(4). The court rejected this claim, holding that the relevant deadline begins from receipt of a report by the facility administrator, not from an earlier report by a unit director.
The hearing was timely because Rule 3.212(b)(4) requires the court to hold a hearing within 30 days of receipt of a report from the facility administrator, not from reports by subordinate unit directors. The administrator's report was received June 15, 1981, and the hearing on June 29, 1981, was well within the 30-day period.
[1] A competency hearing must be held within 30 days of the court's receipt of a report from the administrator of the facility regarding the defendant's competency.
[2] A report from a director of a psychiatric unit does not satisfy the requirement of a report from the administrator of the facility for the purpose of triggering the 30-da…
Previewing 2 of 3 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“The court shall hold a hearing within 30 days of the receipt of any such report from the administrator of the facility on the issues raised thereby.”
The text of Rule 3.212(b)(4) establishing the 30-day deadline for competency hearings
Previewing 1 of 2 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceFry was arrested on October 21, 1980, and found incompetent to stand trial on March 10, 1981, when he was committed to Florida State Hospital. On May …
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FRANK D. UPCHURCH, Jr., Judge.
David Fry, Jr., petitions this court for a writ of habeas corpus on the ground that his competency hearing was not held within the time limitations of Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.212(b)(4). Rule 3.212(b)(4) provides in part as follows:
The court shall hold a hearing within 30 days of the receipt of any such report from the administrator of the facility on the issues raised thereby.
Petitioner was arrested on October 21, 1980. On March 10, 1981, petitioner was found incompetent to stand trial and was committed to Florida State Hospital. The petition alleges that on May 21, 1981, the Marion County Circuit Court received a report from C. W. Montgomery, Director, General Psychiatric Unit at Florida State Hospital, stating that, in his opinion, petitioner was competent to stand trial.1 On June 29,1981, thirty-nine days after receipt of this letter, the court held a competency hearing.
Petitioner’s contention that this hearing was untimely is without merit. Rule 3.212(b)(4) requires the court to hold a hearing within thirty days of receipt of a report from the administrator. The letter purportedly received by the court on May 21, 1981, was from C. W. Montgomery, a director of the General Psychiatric Unit at Florida State Hospital. The report from the administrator of Florida State Hospital, Robert B. Williams, is dated June 9, 1981, and was filed with the clerk on June 15, 1981. There are no allegations that Montgomery was acting on behalf of the administrator. Thus, as the report from the administrator was received by the court on June 15, 1981, the competency hearing on June 29, 1981, was well within the thirty-day time period established by Rule 3.212. Petitioner is therefore not entitled to release and the writ is hereby
DENIED.
COBB and COWART, JJ., concur. . This letter has not been included in the record.