DONALD BROWN, A/K/A DONALD LEWIS, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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Donald Brown appealed the revocation of his community control, arguing his original sentence was illegal and the revocation was based solely on hearsay testimony. The court affirmed the revocation in part but reversed in part because one of the three violations was supported only by hearsay evidence, and the written revocation order was inconsistent with the court's oral pronouncement.
The court held that while Brown's original sentence was illegal under Felty v. State, he forfeited the right to challenge it by accepting its benefits without objecting when imposed. However, the revocation must be reversed in part because the residence violation was supported only by hearsay testimony, and the court cannot determine whether it would have revoked based on the other violations alone. The written order must be corrected to reflect only the three violations of which the court orally found Brown guilty.
[1] A defendant who accepts the benefits of an illegal sentence and fails to challenge it when imposed may not later complain of its illegality after revocation of probation.
[2] Hearsay testimony is admissible in a probation revocation hearing, but a court cannot revoke probation based solely on hearsay evidence.
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“Sentences imposed in violation of statutory requirements, which are to the benefit of the defendant and to which he agreed, may not be challenged after the defendant has accepted the benefits flowing from the plea, but has failed to carry out the conditions imposed on him.”
Establishes that Brown forfeited his right to challenge the illegality of his sentence by accepting its benefits without objecting when imposed.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceBrown received a sentence of incarceration followed by community control followed by probation based on his plea. During his community control period,…
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KLEIN, Judge.
Appellant argues that the trial court improperly revoked his community control because his original sentence, which was based on a plea, was illegal. Although his original sentence was illegal because it provides for incarceration, followed by community control, followed by probation, whereas the guidelines specify incarceration or community control, Felty v. State, 630 So. 2d 1092 (Fla.1994), appellant never challenged his sentence when it was imposed. He therefore falls within the line of cases in which:
[Sentences imposed in violation of statutory requirements, which are to the benefit of the defendant and to which he agreed, may not be challenged after the defendant has accepted the benefits flowing from the plea, but has failed to carry out the conditions imposed on him.
Bashlor v. State, 586 So. 2d 488, 489 (Fla. 1st DCA 1991), citing Clem v. State, 462 So. 2d 1134, 1136 (Fla. 4th DCA 1984) (a defendant cannot complain, after revocation of probation, of the illegality of a sentence placing him on probation, because he accepted the benefits).
Appellant also argues that revocation was improper because it was based exclusively on hearsay testimony. While hearsay testimony is admissible in a revocation hearing, Couch v. State, 341 So. 2d 285, 286 (Fla. 2d DCA 1977), a court cannot revoke probation based solely on hearsay. Adams v. State, 521 So. 2d 337 (Fla. 4th DCA 1988). Here, the court found appellant guilty of changing his residence without permission, and the sole evidence supporting this was the testimony of appellant’s community control officer, who testified that when she went to appellant’s address to verify his residence, appellant’s sister told her that appellant no longer lived there. Although there was non-hearsay evidence supporting the finding of two other violations, we must reverse because we can neither determine whether the trial court would have revoked appellant’s probation for the other two violations alone, nor conclude whether his sentence would have been the same. Davis v. State, 474 So. 2d 1246 (Fla. 4th DCA 1985).
In addition, the written order revoking probation recited six violations; but the court orally found appellant guilty of only three violations. Therefore, after remand, the order should be corrected so that it is not inconsistent with the court’s oral pronouncement. Archie v. State, 558 So. 2d 183 (Fla. 3d DCA 1990).
Affirmed in part and reversed in part.
DELL, J., concurs.
PARIENTE, J., concurs specially with opinion.
PARIENTE, Judge,
concurring specially.
Defendant’s argument is that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to enter the order revoking community control because the original sentence was an illegal sentence and thus defendant was never “legally” on community control. However, in my opinion it is important to focus on the nature of the illegality; specifically, we are not dealing with a jurisdictional flaw in the original sentence or a sentence which exceeded the statutory maximum.
In this case, defendant’s allegation of illegality stems solely from the fact that the original sentence provided for incarceration, followed by community control, followed by probation, and thus constituted a departure sentence under Felty v. State, 630 So. 2d 1092 (Fla.1994). There is no allegation that the combined sentence of incarceration and community control exceeded the permissible guidelines range.
However, since the guidelines specify incarceration or community control, our supreme court has held that a combined sentence of incarceration and community control is a departure sentence requiring written reasons for departure. Felty; State v. VanKooten, 522 So. 2d 830 (Fla.1988).
Thus the sentence is “illegal” solely because it is a departure sentence with no written reasons having been provided.
If the original sentence had been attacked as illegal before the violation had occurred and while defendant was still incarcerated, we would not have discharged defendant; we most likely would have either remanded the case with instructions to set forth written reasons for departure or for sentencing within the guidelines. See Hause v. State, 643 So. 2d 679 (Fla. 4th DCA 1994).
Potential sentencing options would have included a longer jail sentence, (a potential that Justice Grimes refers to in his concurrence in Felty ), jail time followed by a longer period of probation or a longer period of community control. Defendant was not prejudiced by the imposition of the departure sentence. See Clem v. State, 462 So. 2d 1134, 1136 (Fla. 4th DCA 1994).
Only after defendant completed his incarceration and violated his community control has he challenged the legality of the sentence. For these reasons, I concur in the majority opinion.
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Rowan v. State, 696 So. 2d 842 (Fla. 2d DCA 1997)…499 (Fla. 2d DCA 1988). Although hearsay is admissible in evidence at a probation revocation hearing, a revocation of probation may not be based solely upon hearsay evidence. See Kipp v. State, 657 So. 2d 931 (Fla. 2d DCA 1995). In Brown v. State, 659 So. 2d 1260 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995), the trial court revoked probation because the probationer changed his residence without first procuring consent. There, the probation officer went to the approved residence and defendant’s sister told him that defendant no longe…
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Robinson v. State, 689 So. 2d 1147 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997)…o specifically agreed to waive any credit for his prior drug farm treatment in voluntarily returning there.1 Having accepted the benefits of his probation, he cannot now challenge the illegality, if any, of his original sentence. See Brown v. State, 659 So. 2d 1260 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995); Bashlor v. State, 586 So. 2d 488 (Fla. 1st DCA 1991). Appellant also claims that the evidence failed to establish a willful, substantial and material violation of probation. Whether or not appellant’s violation of probation was…
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Santiago v. State, 889 So. 2d 200 (Fla. 4th DCA 2004)…tion revocation proceedings, hearsay alone is insufficient to establish a violation of a condition of probation.” Kiess v. State, 642 So. 2d 1141, 1142 (Fla. 4th DCA 1994). See Smith v. State, 690 So. 2d 733, 734 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997); Brown v. State, 659 So. 2d 1260, 1261-62 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995). At bar, the trial court heard hearsay evidence consisting of second-hand statements and a taped statement by the Wife that Santiago was at her house and slapped her in the face. There was also non-hearsay testimony fro…
Previewing 3 of 15 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- State v. VanKOOTEN, 522 So. 2d 830 (Fla. 1988)
- State v. Bodine, 522 So. 2d 830 (Fla. 1988)
- Clem v. State, 462 So. 2d 1134 (Fla. 4th DCA 1984)
- Bashlor v. State, 586 So. 2d 488 (Fla. 1st DCA 1991)
- Adams v. State, 521 So. 2d 337 (Fla. 4th DCA 1988)
- Felty v. State, 630 So. 2d 1092 (Fla. 1994)
- Ranzel Davis v. State, 474 So. 2d 1246 (Fla. 4th DCA 1985)
- Couch v. State, 341 So. 2d 285 (Fla. 2d DCA 1977)
- Hause v. State, 643 So. 2d 679 (Fla. 4th DCA 1994)
- Archie v. State, 558 So. 2d 183 (Fla. 3d DCA 1990)