BERNIE I. PARKER, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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The Florida appellate court reversed and remanded for resentencing because the trial court improperly included victim injury points in the sentencing guidelines scoresheet for an attempted robbery conviction, and relied partially on an improper departure reason unrelated to the conviction.
The trial court erred in scoring victim injury points under Rule 3.701(d)(7) because victim injury was not a factor of the attempted robbery conviction. Additionally, the court's reliance on the taking of property as a departure reason was improper because it constituted a factor of an offense for which no conviction was obtained. The sentence is vacated and remanded for resentencing.
[1] Victim injury shall not be scored if not a factor of an offense at conviction.
[2] A trial court's departure from sentencing guidelines grounded on both valid and invalid reasons requires reversal and remand for resentencing unless the state can prove b…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“Victim injury shall not be scored if not a factor of an offense at conviction.”
Establishes the mandatory rule that victim injury points cannot be included in the scoresheet unless victim injury is an element of the conviction offense.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceParker was charged with robbery but found guilty of attempted robbery. The trial court's scoresheet incorrectly included 14 points for victim injury. …
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OTT, Judge.
We reverse and remand for resentencing because the trial court erroneously included points for victim injury in appellant’s scoresheet.
Appellant was charged with robbery and found guilty of attempted robbery. His scoresheet included 14 points for victim injury. The version of rule 3.701(d)(7), Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure, which was in effect at the time of the instant offense, stated:
Victim injury shall not be scored if not a factor of an offense at conviction.
Consequently, the court erred in scoring points for victim injury. See also Toney v. State, 456 So. 2d 559 (Fla. 2d DCA 1984).
The scoresheet before the trial court indicated a presumptive sentence of two and one-half to three and one-half years incarceration. The correct presumptive sentence, after subtracting the erroneously included victim injury points, is community control or 12 to 30 months incarceration. The trial court departed from the guidelines and sentenced appellant to five years incarceration. The court gave the following reasons to support departure: (1) the appellant used force in the commission of the offense which resulted in moderate injury; (2) the injury became progressively worse; (3) there was a taking of property; (4) the victim was a female and the defendant was male, and the crime occurred at night. We hold that number (3) is improper. It constitutes a factor relating to the instant offense for which a conviction has not been obtained and is an improper reason for deviating from the guidelines. See Fla.R.Crim.P. 3.701(d)(ll).
The supreme court held, in Albritton v. State, 476 So. 2d 158 (Fla.1985) that when a departure from the guidelines is grounded on both valid and invalid reasons, the sentence should be reversed and the case remanded for resentencing unless the state can show beyond a reasonable doubt that the absence of the invalid reasons would not have affected the sentence. We are reversing for reasons apart from Albritton.
In Scott v. State, 469 So. 2d 865 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985), the First District remanded for resentencing where, as here, the trial court departed from the guidelines, but a scoresheet error resulted in the trial court being misinformed about the guidelines range. Although the trial court departed from the guidelines range, we decline to hold that the error is harmless. As the First District in Scott reasoned when faced with a similar set of facts, we cannot say that the trial court would have imposed a five-year sentence if a correct scoresheet had been before it.
Appellant did not raise this error below. In Dailey v. State, No. AZ-64 (Fla. 1st DCA June 27, 1985) [10 FLW 1583], the court applied the contemporaneous objection rule because the issues raised by Dai-ley did not relate to the trial court’s failure to follow mandatory requirements of the statute. Consequently, the First District distinguished Dailey from State v. Rhoden, 448 So. 2d 1013 (Fla.1984), Walker v. State, 461 So. 2d 229 (Fla.1984), and State v. Snow, 462 So. 2d 455 (Fla.1985). On rehearing, the first district certified to the supreme court the question of whether the contemporaneous objection rule precludes appellate review of a guidelines sentencing error involving factual matters not determinable from the record. Dailey v. State, 471 So. 2d 1349 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985).
The first district had occasion to consider the erroneous addition of victim injury points to a guidelines scoresheet for aggravated assault in Whitfield v. State, 471 So. 2d 633 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985). There, the court declined to follow the contemporaneous objection rule. We agree with the Whitfield court. Rule 3.701(d)(7) places a mandatory duty upon the trial court. Hence, the inclusion of victim injury if not a factor of an offense at conviction is an error of law. This is the type of sentencing error which does not require a contemporaneous objection in the trial court. See Rhoden, supra. Accordingly, appellant’s sentence is vacated and remanded for resentencing.
RYDER, G.J., and FRANK, J., concur.
OTT, Judge.
In a motion for rehearing, the state urges this court to recede from its position that victim injury points cannot be scored under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.701(d)(7) for the crime of robbery. We have so held in Toney v. State, 456 So. 2d 559 (Fla. 2d DCA 1984), Hendry v. State, 460 So. 2d 589 (Fla. 2d DCA 1984), and now in the instant case. We decided to consider this question en banc. See Fla.R.App.P. 9.331(c)(1).
The robbery statute, section 812.-13(1), provides:
“Robbery” means the taking of money or other property which may be the subject of larceny from the person or custody of another by force, violence, assault, or putting in fear. The state argues that physical contact and/or injury is an element of robbery under rule 3.701(d)(7) if the charging document alleges that the robbery was accomplished by “force” or “violence,” and the physical contact and/or injury was used to show the taking was by force or violence. We disagree. Physical contact or victim injury may accompany or be incidental to force or violence, but neither is necessarily a part of the proof of force or violence. Consequently, we adhere to our prior holding that victim injury points should not be scored under the guidelines for the crime of robbery. Accord Brown v. State, 474 So. 2d 346 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985). When victim injury is not an element of a crime at conviction, it may be used as a reason to depart from the guidelines. See Hendrix v. State, 474 So. 2d 346 (Fla.1985). Hence, victim injury may be used as a reason to depart from the guidelines in a robbery conviction.
Appellee’s Motion for Rehearing or in the Alternative, Motion to Certify Questions as Being of Great Public Importance and Suggestion for Rehearing En Banc is DENIED.
RYDER, C.J., and GRIMES, SCHEB, DANAHY, CAMPBELL, SCHOONOVER, LEHAN, FRANK and HALL, JJ., concur.
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Ritts v. State, 491 So. 2d 1252 (Fla. 2d DCA 1986)…es range. Accordingly, we reverse the sentence and remand for resentencing. This court has held that the crime of robbery, defined in section 812.13, Florida Statutes (1985), does not include victim injury as an essential element. Parker v. State, 478 So. 2d 823 (Fla. 2d DCA 1985); Hendry v. State, 460 So. 2d 589 (Fla. 2d DCA 1984). Therefore, it was error to include twenty-one victim injury points on appellant’s scoresheet. See Fla.R.Crim.P. 3.701(d)(7). This error was not harmless since it produced a high…
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Lewis v. State, 574 So. 2d 245 (Fla. 2d DCA 1991)…for departure. As we have stated before, a trial court is without sufficient information to decide which sentence to impose without knowing the presumptive guideline sentence. See Berrio v. State, 518 So. 2d 979 (Fla. 2d DCA 1988); Parker v. State, 478 So. 2d 823, 824 (Fla. 2d DCA 1985). The presumptive guideline sentence as recomputed would be four and one-half to five and one-half years in prison. We see no reason to modify our previous decisions because of the addition of a higher discretionary range. By…
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Davis v. State, 493 So. 2d 82 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986)…could depart only if it provided a clear and convincing reason. A trial court must have the benefit of a properly prepared score-sheet before it can make a fully informed decision on whether to depart from the recommended sentence. Parker v. State, 478 So. 2d 823 (Fla. 2d DCA 1985); Scott v. State, 469 So. 2d 865 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985). Since the rules of criminal procedure do not provide a means of scoring a capital felony as an additional offense at conviction, a capital felony may be considered by the trial…
Previewing 3 of 33 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited (13 total)
- City OF Atl. Beach v. Bull, 476 So. 2d 158 (Fla. 1985)
- Albritton v. State, 476 So. 2d 158 (Fla. 1985)
- State v. Learnhart Rhoden, 448 So. 2d 1013 (Fla. 1984)
- Scott v. State, 469 So. 2d 865 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985)
- Dailey v. State, 471 So. 2d 1349 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985)
- Hendry v. State, 460 So. 2d 589 (Fla. 2d DCA 1984)
- State v. Snow, 462 So. 2d 455 (Fla. 1985)
- Whitfield v. State, 471 So. 2d 633 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985)
- Toney v. State, 456 So. 2d 559 (Fla. 2d DCA 1984)
- Olympian W. Condo. Ass'n, Inc. v. Olympian W., Inc., 474 So. 2d 346 (Fla. 3d DCA 1985)