STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLANT,
v.
JAMES LEWIS, APPELLEE
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The State appeals an order suppressing evidence from a traffic stop of James Lewis. The court reversed, holding that Deputy Dickinson had well-founded suspicion to stop Lewis's vehicle based on observed conduct consistent with theft, including the rapid transfer of a toolbox with the motor running and high-speed erratic driving.
The court held that the deputy had well-founded suspicion to stop the vehicle. The totality of circumstances—the stealthy transfer of a toolbox with the motor running, placement in the passenger compartment rather than the truck bed, and the immediate high-speed erratic driving—constituted sufficient founded suspicion of criminal activity to justify the stop.
[1] A law enforcement officer has a well-founded suspicion to stop a vehicle when observing the transfer of a toolbox from one vehicle to another, the accomplice's readiness…
[2] When determining whether a well-founded suspicion exists to justify a vehicle stop, a court should consider all facts known to the officer up until the time the stop is m…
Previewing 2 of 5 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 question here is simply whether the deputy had a well-founded suspicion that appellee had been engaged in criminal activity”
Establishes the legal standard for evaluating whether a traffic stop was justified—focused on reasonable suspicion, not certainty of guilt.
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAt 1:15 a.m., Deputy Dickinson and Assistant State Attorney Coggin observed Lewis's companion remove a large red toolbox from one truck, place it in t…
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GRIMES, Judge.
The state challenges an order granting a motion to suppress.
Deputy Sheriff Dickinson and Assistant State Attorney Coggin were in a patrol car parked outside the Crown Lounge in Sarasota at 1:15 in the morning. They noticed a man come out of the lounge, which was still open, and walk to the rear of a pickup truck. He pushed aside a fishnet and took a large red toolbox out of the bed of the truck. He then went immediately to an El Camino pickup truck which was parked about 20 feet away with its motor running. He threw the toolbox in the passenger compartment and jumped in beside it. The truck then pulled away rapidly, reaching a speed of 45 to 50 miles per hour before it left the parking lot. As it drove down the street, it swerved erratically across the center line several times. By this time, Dickinson and Coggin were following, and they pulled the El Camino over. There were two men in the truck, one of whom was appellee, the driver. After questioning, the deputy arrested them for stealing the toolbox.
The court granted the motion to suppress on the premise that the deputy did not have a founded suspicion upon which to base the stop of appellee. In making his ruling, the judge noted that everything Dickinson and Coggin had observed was as consistent with innocence as it was with guilt because they had no way of knowing whether appellee or his companion owned the toolbox. If it were a question of guilt or innocence, the court’s comments might have been well taken.
However, the question here is simply whether the deputy had a well-founded suspicion that appellee had been engaged in criminal activity. Taylor v. State, 384 So. 2d 1310 (Fla. 2d DCA 1980); State v. Payton, 344 So. 2d 648 (Fla. 2d DCA 1977).
We are convinced that he did. Deputy Dickinson saw more than the simple transfer of a toolbox from one vehicle to another. Appellee was ready with the motor running when his accomplice threw the toolbox into the vehicle. Contrary to what might have been expected, the toolbox was not placed in the bed of the El Camino but rather was put in the single-seat passenger compartment along with the two occupants. The truck immediately pulled away at a high rate of speed and was driven in an erratic manner. Ap-pellee contends that the manner in which the vehicle was driven is irrelevant because the evidence reflects that Deputy Dickinson had decided to stop the vehicle once he saw the toolbox taken.
However, for purposes of deciding whether there is sufficient evidence to support a well-founded suspicion, a court should consider all of the facts known to an officer up until the time he makes the stop. For aught we know, if appellee had driven his vehicle in a responsible manner, the deputy might have changed his mind about making the stop.
This is not a case of an appellate court second-guessing the trial judge.
The evidence here was entirely undisputed. The trial judge, himself, observed that he would have been inclined to deny the motion were it not for his recollection of the case of Lower v. State, 348 So. 2d 410 (Fla. 2d DCA 1977), in which this court reversed his denial of a motion to suppress. Yet, in Lower the only justification given for the stop was that an automobile which had been parked in a business area parking lot at night after closing hours pulled away at a faster than normal rate of speed (but not in excess of the speed limit) when a police cruiser drove by.
Thus, unlike the present case, there were no facts which would elicit the reasonable suspicion that the occupants of the vehicle had committed or were about to commit a crime.
We reverse the order granting the motion to suppress and remand the case for further proceedings.
HOBSON, A. C. J., and BOARDMAN, J., concur.
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McCLOUD v. State, 491 So. 2d 1164 (Fla. 2d DCA 1986)…See also sec. 901.151, Fla.Stat. (1975) (“stop and frisk”) and Terry. Later decisions of this court have framed the issue as, “whether the deputy had a well-founded suspicion that [the suspect] had been engaged in criminal activity.” State v. Lewis, 406 So. 2d 79 (Fla. 2d DCA 1981). Lewis also instructs us that, “for purposes of deciding whether there is sufficient evidence to support a well-founded suspicion, a court should consider all of the facts known to an officer up until the time he makes the stop.”…
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Adams v. State, 523 So. 2d 190 (Fla. 1st DCA 1988)…a. 1st DCA 1982), pet. for rev. dismissed, 415 So. 2d 1361 (Fla.1982). In determining whether sufficient evidence existed to support a founded suspicion, the court should consider all the facts known to the officer prior to the stop. State v. Lewis, 406 So. 2d 79 (Fla. 2d DCA 1981). Prior to this stop, Officer Ethridge knew the following facts: (1) “French-town” is recognized as a high-crime area particularly known for narcotics transactions; (2) in “Frenchtown”, at 8:30 on a Friday night, a black male ente…
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Stanton v. State, 576 So. 2d 925 (Fla. 1st DCA 1991)…endere to the possession charge, specifically reserving her right to appeal. Police are required to have a “founded suspicion” of criminal activity before they can initiate a stop of a motor vehicle to investigate criminal activity. State v. Lewis, 406 So. 2d 79, 80 (Fla. 2d DCA 1981). Police may satisfy that threshold when the “cumulative impact of the circumstances perceived by the officers” indicates that criminal activity is afoot. Kehoe v. State, 521 So. 2d 1094, 1095-96 (Fla.1988); Johnson v. State, 5…
Previewing 3 of 7 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- State v. Payton, 344 So. 2d 648 (Fla. 2d DCA 1977)
- Foster v. State, 348 So. 2d 410 (Fla. 1st DCA 1977)
- Lower v. State, 348 So. 2d 410 (Fla. 2d DCA 1977)
- Taylor v. State, 384 So. 2d 1310 (Fla. 2d DCA 1980)