HORACE DANIEL COLLINS, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. 5th DCA | 1986-11-06
No. 85-1710
ORFINGER, J., concurs., DAUKSCH, J., dissents with opinion.
496 So. 2d 997 Florida District Court of Appeal, Fifth District (1986) Negative Treatment
Cited by 14 cases

AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.

Synopsis

Collins was convicted of sexual activity with a child under Florida's custodial authority statute. On appeal, he challenged whether the state proved the required element of custodial authority, arguing that merely giving the victim a ride from the bus stop was insufficient. The appellate court affirmed, holding that custodial authority can be established on a temporary basis through evidence of close relationship, frequent contact, and parental knowledge and approval.


Holding

The court affirmed the conviction, holding that custodial authority under the statute can be established on a temporary basis and need not require living in the same household. The evidence presented—demonstrating the victim's many contacts with Collins, frequent rides in his truck, his daily contact with the victim's mother, and the mother's knowledge and approval of the child being in his care—was sufficient to meet the common understanding of custody.


Headnotes

[1] A challenge to the sufficiency of evidence to prove a material element of a crime can be preserved for appeal through a motion for new trial.

[2] A defendant must raise an objection to jury instructions or a flawed statute definition via a timely motion to dismiss or objection to the jury instructions to preserve t…

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Key Quotes

“the words "familial or custodial" were interpreted "to include within the statute's proscriptions any person maintaining a close relationship with children of the ages specified in the statute, and who lived in the same household with such children."”

Establishes the broad definition of custodial authority adopted from Coleman v. State

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Facts & Procedural History

Collins was convicted of sexual activity with a child between 12 and 18 years old in violation of section 794.041, Florida Statutes. The state's state…

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Opinion of the Court
COBB, Judge.

COBB, Judge.

The appellant, Horace Daniel Collins, was convicted of sexual activity with a child over twelve years but less than eighteen years of age, in violation of section 794.041, Florida Statutes (Supp.1983). That section provides:

(2) Any person who stands in a position of familial or custodial authority to a child 12 years of age or older but less than 18 years of age and who:
(a) Solicits that child to engage in sexual activity is guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.

(b) Engages in sexual activity with that child is guilty of a felony of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.-082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.804.

In a subsequent statement of particulars, the state added: “The defendant’s custodial authority was his giving the victim a ride from the bus stop to the location of the incident.”

On appeal, the defendant contends the state failed to prove the element of custodial authority over the victim, and that the custody alleged and shown in this ease is insufficient pursuant to the accepted definition of “custodial”. The first attack in regard to this issue was made by the defendant in a motion for new trial.1 At a hearing on that motion, it was argued that the statute does not define “custody”, and no custodial authority was shown. The argument as to the definition of the word “custodial” should have been raised either via a timely motion to dismiss or by timely objection to the court’s jury instructions in regard to that definition.2 See Brewer v. State, 413 So. 2d 1217 (Fla. 5th DCA 1982), rev. denied, 426 So. 2d 25 (Fla.1983).

Basically, we agree with the definition supplied by the First District in Coleman v. State, 485 So. 2d 1342 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986), and Stricklen v. State, 11 FLW 2092 (Fla. 1st DCA Oct. 2, 1986). In Coleman, section 794.011(4)(e), Florida Statutes (1983) was construed by Judge Ervin and the words “familial or custodial” were interpreted “to include within the statute’s proscriptions any person maintaining a close relationship with children of the ages specified in the statute, and who lived in the same household with such children.” Coleman at 1345. The latter portion of the definition — “living in the same household with such children” —was applicable to the facts in Coleman, but was held in Stridden not to be an essential factor in the definition of “custodial” under the statute; rather, such custody can occur on a temporary basis, as in Stridden and the instant case. We believe the evidence presented below was sufficient to meet the common understanding of the word “custody”, such as that offered by the trial judge from Webster’s Dictionary.3 The evidence presented showed that the victim had many contacts with the defendant, she had ridden in his truck many times, the defendant had daily contact with the victim’s mother, and, in fact, the mother of the child knew, and approved, that the child was in the care of the defendant on the day the crime was committed.

AFFIRMED.

ORFINGER, J., concurs.

DAUKSCH, J., dissents with opinion.

. The adequacy of the state's evidence to prove a material element of a crime may be preserved for appeal even though it was initially raised below by a motion for new trial. Mancini v. State, 273 So. 2d 371 (Fla.1973); Sanderson v. State, 390 So. 2d 744 (Fla. 5th DCA 1980).

. Following the reading of the instructions to the jury, the defense counsel suggested to the judge that the statute defining custody was flawed since it does not specifically define what "custody" is. However, no objection to the jury instructions or to the information was raised, and no clarifying instruction was proffered.

. The definition offered by the judge was as follows: "Immediate charge and control exercised by a person or an authority of safe keeping."

Dissent
DAUKSCH, Judge,

DAUKSCH, Judge,

dissenting:

I respectfully dissent.

I do not agree with the majority opinion which gives such a broad definition of the word “custodial.” I do not consider one who gives a child a ride in a car to be in custody of that child for the purpose of the criminal sexual activity statute. I agree with the definition in Coleman v. State, 485 So. 2d 1342 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986), but I would not extend it.

In my opinion he did not commit the “familial or custodial” rape.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Hallberg v. State, 649 So. 2d 1355 (Fla. 1994)
    …o their students and are legally responsible for their welfare; second, the State contends that S.S.’s parents consented to Hallberg’s visits and thus vested him with custodial authority over S.S.; and, third, the State, relying on Collins v. State, 496 So. 2d 997 (Fla. 5th DCA 1986), review denied, 506 So. 2d 1040 (Fla.1987), argues that the close relationship between Hallberg and S.S. places Hallberg in a custodial status. We reject these arguments and find that teachers are not, by reason of their chosen p…
  • Hallberg v. State, 621 So. 2d 693 (Fla. 2d DCA 1993)
    …of the ages specified in the statute _” 485 So. 2d at 1345 (emphasis supplied). However, those later cases eliminated the additional Coleman factor that such a “custodial” person need live in the same household as the children. See Collins v. State, 496 So. 2d 997, 998 (Fla. 5th DCA 1986), rev. denied, 506 So. 2d 1040 (Fla.1987). The Collins court concluded that such custody can occur on a temporary basis. See also Vandiver v. State, 578 So. 2d 1145 (Fla. 4th DCA 1991); Bierer v. State, 582 So. 2d 1230 (Fla.…
  • Saffor v. State, 625 So. 2d 31 (Fla. 1st DCA 1993)
    …ad developed between the victim and perpetrator, it was unnecessary that the perpetrator either be related or reside in the same household for custodial authority to exist. The fifth district held in a similar manner in the case of Collins v. State, 496 So. 2d 997 [*36] (Fla. 5th DCA1986), rev. denied, 506 So. 2d 1040 (Fla.1987). The obvious legislative intent recognized by the court is to dissuade persons from taking advantage of a relationship which is perceived by the child as being one of authority. In t…

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