PATRICK CARTER, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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.
Carter appeals his sentence for battery on a law enforcement officer and misdemeanor charges, challenging the trial court's failure to use a written sentencing guidelines scoresheet, the assessment of legal constraint points for both felony and misdemeanor offenses, and the imposition of costs without notice and hearing. The appellate court affirmed the substantive sentencing determination but reversed and remanded regarding the missing scoresheet and improper cost assessment.
The court affirmed that legal constraint points can properly be assessed for misdemeanor offenses in addition to the primary felony offense, but reversed and remanded because: (1) a written scoresheet is mandatory even where mandatory sentences exist and must be included in the record; and (2) costs cannot be assessed against an indigent defendant without notice and a hearing.
[1] A written sentencing guidelines scoresheet must be completed even when offenses have mandatory penalties.
[2] The absence of a sentencing guidelines scoresheet in the appellate record is reversible error.
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 existence of mandatory sentences and their repercussions does not affect the requirement of a written score-sheet. Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.701 states that even in the case of offenses having mandatory penalties, a score-sheet must be completed.”
Establishes that a written scoresheet is mandatory regardless of mandatory sentencing provisions and its absence is reversible error.
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceCarter was convicted of battery on a law enforcement officer and pleaded nolo contendere to separate misdemeanor charges. At sentencing, the trial jud…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.
Explore caselaw by topic → Browse Legal Status At Time Of Offense cases and more on FLexlaw
POLEN, Judge.
Appellant timely seeks review of his sentence based on a judgment and conviction of battery on a law enforcement officer and separate charges leading to adjudication of guilty of misdemeanor charges to which he had pled nolo contendere. Appellant asserts reversible error in the trial court’s failure to use a sentencing guidelines scoresheet and in the multiple assessing of points for legal constraint as to the misdemeanors. Appellant also asserts reversible error in the assessment of costs. We affirm in part, reverse in part and remand to the trial court. •
At the sentencing hearing, the trial judge, over objection, assessed points for being on legal constraint for the misdemeanors as well as the felony, thus placing appellant in a guidelines cell with a recommended range of seven to nine years and a permitted range of five and one-half to twelve years incarceration. However, based on Branam v. State, 554 So. 2d 512 (Fla.1990), the trial judge concluded where the statutory maximum or mínimums preclude sentencing within the recommended range, the judge must impose sentences that come as close as possible to the guidelines recommended range. Therefore, the judge sentenced appellant to consecutive sentences for a total of six years and sixty days incarceration.
The record indicates a written score-sheet may have been used during the sentencing hearing; however, none has been provided in the record on appeal. The state argues that, because pursuant to Branam the trial judge was required to sentence appellant to the specific consecutive sentences bringing appellant’s sentence as close to the guidelines as possible, the absence of a scoresheet is not fatal. We disagree. The existence of mandatory sentences and their repercussions does not affect the requirement of a written score-sheet. Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.701 states that even in the case of offenses having mandatory penalties, a score-sheet must be completed. Here, either the record must be supplemented with the “missing” scoresheet or if none is available, then upon remand for resentencing one must be considered and added to the record.
We find unconvincing appellant’s argument of error in the trial court’s adding points for legal constraint for the misdemeanor charges as well as the felony offense. The “legal status at the time of the offense” refers not only to the primary offense, but any offenses at conviction. Therefore, a defendant is properly assessed legal constraint points to each offense for which he is sentenced where he was under legal constraint at the time of the offense. See Walker v. State, 546 So. 2d 764 (Fla. 5th DCA 1989); Gissinger v. State, 481 So. 2d 1269, 1270 (Fla. 5th DCA 1986). Since pursuant to the guidelines, an “offense” can be scored as a misdemeanor, and legal constraint points can be scored for additional “offenses,” legal constraint points can be scored for misdemeanors as well.
Additionally, as costs were assessed against appellant without benefit of notice and a hearing, we find reversible error based on Mays v. State, 519 So. 2d 618 (Fla.1988). We note that an identical argument was raised by the state in Beasley v. State, 565 So. 2d 721 (Fla. 4th DCA), review granted, No. 76,102 (Fla. June 7, 1990), wherein we certified the question of whether the imposition of costs against an indigent is different from the collection of those costs, making the question of ability to pay premature until attempt is made to collect such costs.
REVERSED AND REMANDED.
DOWNEY and GARRETT, JJ., concur.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By (25 total)
-
Flowers v. State, 586 So. 2d 1058 (Fla. 1991)…lating legal constraint points. The district courts have differed in the interpretation of these rules. Compare Walker v. State, 546 So. 2d 764 (Fla. 5th DCA 1989) (legal constraint points should be assessed for each conviction) and Carter v. State, 571 So. 2d 520 (Fla. 4th DCA 1990) (same) with Lewis v. State, 574 So. 2d 245 (Fla. 2d DCA 1991) (legal constraint points are assessed only once). The conflicting opinions in Walker, Carter, and Lewis result from competing policies in calculating the sentencing s…
-
Carter v. State, 586 So. 2d 340 (Fla. 1991)…PER CURIAM. We have for review Carter v. State, 571 So. 2d 520 (Fla. 4th DCA 1990), which is in direct conflict with Lewis v. State, 574 So. 2d 245 (Fla. 2d DCA 1991), and Scott v. State, 574 So. 2d 247 (Fla. 2d DCA 1991). We have jurisdiction pursuant to article V, section 3(b)(3) of the Florida Constitution.…
-
Lewis v. State, 574 So. 2d 245 (Fla. 2d DCA 1991)…reme court.”). Since Walker, the Fifth District has certified the use of the multiplier to the Florida Supreme Court, Flowers v. State, 567 So. 2d 1055 (Fla. 5th DCA 1990), and the Fourth District has ruled in favor of a multiplier, Carter v. State, 571 So. 2d 520 (Fla. 4th DCA 1990). We do not agree that the guidelines require the use of a multiplier with legal constraint. Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure 3.701,1 and 3.988, do not require the use of a multiplier. Nor do they contain language susceptible…
Previewing 3 of 25 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Mays v. State, 519 So. 2d 618 (Fla. 1988)
- Walker v. State, 546 So. 2d 764 (Fla. 5th DCA 1989)
- Branam v. State, 554 So. 2d 512 (Fla. 1990)
- Beasley v. State, 565 So. 2d 721 (Fla. 4th DCA 1990)
- Gissinger v. State, 481 So. 2d 1269 (Fla. 5th DCA 1986)