GEORGE W. BRANNEN, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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Brannen was convicted of simple battery on law enforcement officers and resisting an officer without violence. The court affirmed the battery convictions but reversed the resisting conviction because the trial court erred in refusing to instruct the jury on the elements of disorderly intoxication, which was essential to determining whether the officer was lawfully executing a legal duty.
The trial court erred in refusing the requested instruction. The jury must be informed of the definition of disorderly intoxication to determine whether the officer was lawfully executing a legal duty, which is an essential element of resisting an officer that must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt and is subject to jury determination.
[1] The offense of resisting an officer, with or without violence, requires as an essential element that the officer be engaged in the execution of legal process or the lawfu…
[2] The prosecution must prove the lawful duty of an arresting officer as an essential element of resisting arrest, and this element is subject to jury determination under th…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“The offense of resisting an officer, either with or without violence, requires, as an essential element, that the officer be engaged "in the execution of legal process or in the lawful execution of any legal duty."”
Establishes the essential element that must be proven for a resisting offense
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceBrannen was charged with two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer and one count of resisting an officer with violence. He was convicted of l…
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NIMMONS, Judge.
Brannen was charged with two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer and one count of resisting an officer with violence. He was convicted of the lesser offense of simple battery on each of the battery on law enforcement officer counts and the lesser offense of resisting an officer without violence on the other count. We affirm the two simple battery convictions but reverse the resisting conviction.
The offense of resisting an officer, either with or without violence, requires, as an essential element, that the officer be engaged “in the execution of legal process or in the lawful execution of any legal duty.” 1 The information charged that the resisting occurred as the officer was engaged “in the lawful execution of a legal duty, to wit: making a lawful arrest of George W. Bran-nen for a misdemeanor, to wit: disorderly intoxication.”
Counsel for the defendant requested that the court define for the jury the offense of disorderly intoxication and submitted an instruction which set forth the elements of that misdemeanor. The defendant was seeking to defend on the basis that the state had failed to prove the above referred element which was essential to make a case of resisting. More particularly, the defendant’s position was that he had not committed the offense of disorderly intoxication in the presence of the officer and that, absent legal process, an arrest for such misdemeanor may be made only when it is committed in the presence of the officer. The trial court denied the requested jury instruction. Such denial was error. In Smith v. State, 399 So. 2d 70 (Fla. 5th DCA 1981), the court correctly noted:
An essential element of the offense under Count Three was that the arresting officers were engaged “in the execution of legal process or in the lawful execution of any legal duty.” See § 843.01, Fla.Stat. (1979). The lawful duty requirement was an essential element to be shown by the prosecution and subject to jury determination, applying the reasonable doubt criterion. Licata v. State, 156 Fla. 692, 24 So. 2d 98 (1945); Lee v. State, 368 So. 2d 395 (Fla. 3rd DCA 1979), cert. denied, 378 So. 2d 349 (Fla.1979).
399 So. 2d at 71.
The state, however, argues that the following portion of the standard jury instructions 2 under Section 843.01 and 843.02 requires a contrary result:
The court further instructs you that (read duty being performed from charge) constitutes [execution of legal process] [lawful execution of a legal duty].
The state then points to the court’s following instruction:
The court further instructs you that the arresting of a person for the misdemean-or of [disorderly] intoxication constitutes a lawful execution of a legal duty.
The state says that the defendant was entitled to no more than the above instruction. We disagree and hold that the trial court erred in not affording the defendant the opportunity of having the jury determine the question of whether this particular arrest for disorderly intoxication was lawful. In order for the jury to make such determination, it must, of course, be informed of the definition of the offense, in this instance disorderly intoxication.
We have considered the other points raised by appellant and find them to be without merit. The judgments are affirmed with respect to the simple battery counts, but the judgment on the third count is reversed and the case is remanded for a new trial on the charge of resisting without violence.
BARFIELD, J., concurs.
THOMPSON, J., dissents without opinion.
. Sections 843.01 and 843.02, Florida Statutes (1981).
. Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases (1981 Edition), pp. 195 and 196.
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Citator
Cited By
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Dion v. State, 564 So. 2d 618 (Fla. 4th DCA 1990)…we find no error in the denial of appellant’s requested instructions, it is apparent that the trial court erred in instructing the jury as a matter of law that the police officer was acting lawfully when he arrested appellant. See Brannen v. State, 453 So. 2d 428 (Fla. 1st DCA 1984); Smith v. State, 399 So. 2d 70 (Fla. 5th DCA 1981). Accordingly, we reverse with directions that appellant’s convictions for trespass and resisting arrest without violence be vacated, and that a new trial be conducted on the ch…
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Bradford v. State, 567 So. 2d 911 (Fla. 1st DCA 1990)…resisting arrest with violence. Thus, the officer’s pursuit, arrest and search of appellant was proper because it was supported by sufficient evidence of either a prior battery or resisting arrest with violence. Appellant cites to Brannen v. State, 453 So. 2d 428 (Fla. 1st DCA 1984), for support for his argument that, in spite of section 776.051(1), he cannot be charged with resisting arrest with violence where the officer was improperly searching him and was not engaged in the lawful execution of a legal du…
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Stayer v. State, 590 So. 2d 25 (Fla. 4th DCA 1991)…rmance of his duties is removed from the jury’s consideration. The lawful duty requirement was an essential element to be shown by the prosecution and subject to jury determination, applying the reasonable doubt [*27] criteria. See Brannen v. State, 453 So. 2d 428 (Fla. 1st DCA 1984).…1 / 2
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
- LEE v. State, 368 So. 2d 395 (Fla. 3d DCA 1979)
- Licata v. State, 156 Fla. 692 (Fla. 1945)
- Smith v. State, 399 So. 2d 70 (Fla. 5th DCA 1981)
- Shanklin v. Shanklin, 156 Fla. 692 (Fla. 1945)