CORNELIUS D. PAIGE, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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Paige was convicted of possessing cocaine with intent to sell within 200 feet of a public housing facility. After his conviction, the Florida Supreme Court struck down the statute's 'public housing facility' language as unconstitutionally vague. The appellate court reversed and remanded, directing entry of a judgment on the lesser included offense of simple possession with intent to sell under the valid statute.
The court reversed the conviction and remanded with directions to enter a judgment of guilt under the lesser included offense of possession with intent to sell cocaine under section 893.13(1)(a)(1), which is constitutional. The court found that possession with intent to sell is a necessarily included lesser offense because the state had to prove this element to establish the charged offense.
[1] A search conducted during a consensual encounter with police officers, with the suspect's consent, does not violate the Fourth Amendment and does not require probable cau…
[2] A conviction based on a statute later declared unconstitutional may be sustained as a lesser included offense if the evidence supports guilt of that lesser offense.
Previewing 2 of 4 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“We think the evidence adduced below at the suppression hearing adequately supports the trial court's ruling that the search of Paige's person was made during a consensual encounter with police officers and the search was conducted with Paige's consent.”
The court upheld the trial court's denial of the suppression motion, finding the search was consensual and did not violate Fourth Amendment rights.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligencePaige was arrested after a police officer found cocaine in his pants leg during a consensual encounter. A trial court denied Paige's motion to suppres…
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W. SHARP, Judge.
Paige appeals from a judgment and sentence for possession of cocaine with intent to sell within two hundred feet of a public housing facility.1 After his motion to suppress evidence of the cocaine found in his pants leg by a police officer was denied, Paige pled no contest to the charge, specifically reserving his right to appeal.
We think the evidence adduced below at the suppression hearing adequately supports the trial court’s ruling that the search of Paige’s person was made during a consensual encounter with police officers and the search was conducted with Paige’s consent. Paige’s Fourth Amendment rights were not violated and probable cause to think Paige was engaged in criminal activity was not necessary. See Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 36 L.Ed.2d 864 (1973); Davis v. State, 594 So. 2d 264 (Fla.1992); State v. Angel, 547 So. 2d 1294 (Fla. 5th DCA 1989).
After-this judgment was entered, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that section 893.13(l)(i) is unconstitutional because the phrase “public housing facility” is vague and does not give adequate notice as to what conduct is prohibited. Brown v. State, 629. So. 2d 841 (Fla.1994). However, Paige’s conviction of a lesser included offense, section 893.13(1)(a)(1) (possession of cocaine with intent to sell) can be sustained pursuant to section 924.34. That statute provides:
924.34. When evidence sustains only conviction of lesser offense
When the appellate court determines that the evidence does not prove the offense for which the defendant was found guilty but does establish his guilt of a lesser statutory degree of the offense or a lesser offense necessarily included in the offense charged, the appellate court shall reverse the judgment and direct the trial court to enter judgment for the lesser degree of the offense or for the lesser included offense.
This section applies to offenses divisible into degrees or to necessarily included lesser offenses. Gould v. State, 577 So. 2d 1302 (Fla.1991); N.C. v. State, 581 So. 2d 647 (Fla. 4th DCA 1991); Shaara v. State, 581 So. 2d 1339 (Fla. 1st DCA 1991). To be a necessarily included lesser offense, all of the elements of the lesser offense must be included in the charged offense so that the burden of proof as to the charged crime cannot be discharged without proving the lesser offense. Gould; Brown v. State, 206 So. 2d 377 (Fla.1968); Shaara.
Although by its language section 924.34 applies to cases in which “the evidence does not prove the offense for which the defendant was found guilty,” the statute has also been applied to cases in which convictions had to be set aside because they were based on statutes later determined to be unconstitutional. See, e.g., Golden v. State, 578 So. 2d 480 (Fla. 2d DCA 1991) (defendant’s conviction for keeping a house of “ill fame” reversed after Florida Supreme Court overturned the ill-fame statute as unconstitutionally vague; however, evidence was sufficient to establish the defendant’s guilt for keeping a house of prostitution and so trial court was directed to enter judgment for this lesser included offense and to resentence the defendant); Long v. State, 578 So. 2d 288 (Fla. 2d DCA 1991) (same); Wolfe v. State, 576 So. 2d 915 (Fla. 2d DCA 1991) (same). The courts have also remanded for an adjudication of guilt on the lesser offense in such situations without reference to section 924.34. See Franklin v. State, 257 So. 2d 21 (Fla.1971) (crimes against nature statute found to be unconstitutionally vague; defendant’s conviction for a crime against nature reversed and the cause remanded with directions to enter a judgment of guilt for the lesser included offense of committing an unnatural act); Robitaille v. State, 266 So. 2d 675 (Fla. 1st DCA 1972) (since crimes against nature statute was found to be unconstitutional, the defendant’s conviction was reversed and the cause remanded with directions to enter judgment against him for the lesser offense of committing an unnatural act); Morris v. State, 261 So. 2d 563 (Fla. 2d DCA 1972) (same).
In the present case, Paige was convicted of violating section 893.13(1)(i), Florida Statutes (1991) which provides as follows:
(1) Except as authorized by this chapter, it is unlawful for any person to sell, purchase, manufacture, or deliver, or to possess with the intent to sell, purchase, manufacture, or deliver, a controlled substance in, on or within 200 feet of the real property comprising a public housing facility, within 200 feet of the real property comprising a public or private college, university, or other postsecond-ary educational institution, or within 200 feet of any public park. Any person who violates this paragraph with respect to:
1. A controlled substance named or described in s. 893.03(l)(a), (l)(b), (l)(d), (2)(a), or (2)(b) commits a felony of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084....
Section 893.13(l)(a)l. provides as follows: Except as authorized by this chapter and chapter 499, it is unlawful for any person to sell, purchase, manufacture, or deliver, or possess with intent to sell, purchase, manufacture, or deliver, a controlled substance. Any person who violates this provision with respect to:
1. A controlled substance named or described in s. 893.03(l)(a), (l)(b), (l)(d), (2)(a), or (2)(b) is guilty of a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in ss. 775.082, 775.083, and 775.084.
Under section 893.13(1)(a)1, the state had the burden of proving that Paige possessed cocaine with the intent to sell within two hundred feet of a public housing facility. In establishing this offense, the state necessarily must have proved that Paige possessed cocaine with intent to sell it under section 893.13(1)(a). Thus possession with intent to sell under-893.13(1)(a) is a necessarily included lesser offense of possession with intent to sell within two hundred feet of a public housing facility. See Ruiz v. State, 488 So. 2d 895 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986) (simple possession of cocaine was a necessarily included lesser offense of possession of cocaine within a prison).
Accordingly, we remand this cause with directions to enter a judgment of guilt as to section 893.13(1)(a)(1), Florida Statutes, and to resentence Paige accordingly.
REVERSED and REMANDED with directions to enter a new judgment and to resentence.
GOSHORN, J., concurs.
THOMPSON, J., concurs specially in result only without opinion.
. § 893.13(1)(i)(1), Fla.Stat. (1991).
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Pratt v. State, 668 So. 2d 1007 (Fla. 1st DCA 1996)…eral wording of section 924.34, some appellate courts (including our own) have applied this statute also “to eases in which convictions had to be set aside because they were based on statutes later determined to be unconstitutional.” Paige v. State, 641 So. 2d 179, 181 (Fla. 5th DCA 1994); Harris v. State, 649 So. 2d 923 (Fla. 1st DCA 1995); Golden v. State, 578 So. 2d 480 (Fla. 2d DCA 1991). In Paige, the defendant was convicted of possession of cocaine with intent to sell within 200 feet of a public housing…
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State v. Moten, 698 So. 2d 1345 (Fla. 5th DCA 1997)…gment which adjudicated Moten guilty of sale of a controlled substance “in front of’ a public housing facility. Then, based on Brown v. State, 629 So. 2d 841 (Fla.1994), which held that the term public housing facility was vague, and Paige v. State, 641 So. 2d 179 (Fla. 5th DCA 1994), which held that a person improperly convicted of sale of a controlled substance within 200 feet of a public housing facility should be convicted on remand of the lesser included offense of sale of a controlled substance, the cou…
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Chambers v. State, 700 So. 2d 68 (Fla. 5th DCA 1997)…51 So. 2d 1194 (Fla.1995); State v. Brown, 616 So. 2d 124 (Fla. 2d DCA 1993). . See Nix v. Williams, 467 U.S. 431, 104 S.Ct. 2501, 81 L.Ed.2d 377 (1984); Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 36 L.Ed.2d 854 (1973); Paige v. State, 641 So. 2d 179 (Fla. 5th DCA 1994); State v. Walton, 565 So. 2d 381 (Fla. 5th DCA 1990); State v. Angel, 547 So. 2d 1294 (Fla. 5th DCA 1989). See also State v. McLaughlin, 454 So. 2d 617 (Fla. 5th DCA 1984). . Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L…
Previewing 3 of 9 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited (16 total)
- Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218 (U.S. 1973)
- Brown v. State, 206 So. 2d 377 (Fla. 1968)
- Alva Gene Franklin v. State, 257 So. 2d 21 (Fla. 1971)
- Twana Davis v. State, 594 So. 2d 264 (Fla. 1992)
- Buckley v. State, 577 So. 2d 1302 (Fla. 1991)
- Shaara v. State, 581 So. 2d 1339 (Fla. 1st DCA 1991)
- Morris v. State, 261 So. 2d 563 (Fla. 2d DCA 1972)
- State v. Angel, 547 So. 2d 1294 (Fla. 5th DCA 1989)
- In the Interest of N.C. v. State, 581 So. 2d 647 (Fla. 4th DCA 1991)
- Zebbie Thompkins v. State, 576 So. 2d 915 (Fla. 2d DCA 1991)