BRIAN F. BRASWELL, 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.
Brian Braswell appeals his conviction for burglary of a conveyance after removing a cooler from the open bed of a pickup truck. The First District Court of Appeal affirms, holding that reaching into the truck bed to remove the secured property constitutes a sufficient partial entry into the conveyance to establish burglary.
Burglary of a conveyance can be established by removing property from the open bed of a pickup truck. Reaching into the truck bed to remove a secured cooler constitutes a partial entry into the vehicle sufficient to satisfy Florida's burglary statute, even though the statute does not explicitly include the language 'or any part thereof.'
[1] Burglary of a conveyance can be established by proof that a defendant removed personal property from the open bed of a pickup truck.
[2] Florida's burglary statute defines "conveyance" as any motor vehicle.
Previewing 2 of 6 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“Reaching into the back bed of a pickup truck to remove a secured cooler is, in our judgment, properly considered a partial entry into the vehicle by the defendant and is more analogous to removing a radiator or starter from an engine compartment than taking a hubcap from a tire's exterior or siphoning gas from a gas tank, neither of which involves entry by any part of one's body into a vehicle.”
Establishes the court's central holding that reaching into a truck bed constitutes sufficient entry for burglary, distinguishing it from external acts that do not involve body entry.
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceBraswell stole a cooler from the bed of a pickup truck. The truck owner testified the cooler was strapped down with bungee cords. One witness observed…
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 Structure Definition cases and more on FLexlaw
ERVIN, Judge.
Appellant, Brian Braswell, appeals his conviction for burglary of a conveyance. In this case of first impression in Florida, Braswell contends that burglary of a conveyance cannot be established by proof that he removed personal property from the open bed of a pickup truck. We disagree and therefore affirm.
Section 810.02(1), Florida Statutes (1993), defines burglary as “entering or remaining in a structure or a conveyance with the intent to commit an offense therein, unless the premises are at the time open to the public or the defendant is licensed or invited to enter or remain.” “Conveyance” means any motor vehicle. § 810.011(3), Fla.Stat. (Supp. 1994). It is undisputed that Braswell stole the property, a cooler, from the bed of the truck. The owner of the truck testified that the cooler was strapped down, and he believed he had fastened it with bungee cords. A witness saw Braswell pop a bungee cord off the cooler while taking it, but another witness said it did not appear that the cooler had been secured.
We have found no Florida case which is directly on point; rather eases relating to burglaries of conveyances have been decided on whether an entry occurred. For example, in R.E.S. v. State, 396 So. 2d 1219 (Fla. 1st DCA 1981), this court concluded that siphoning gasoline from an automobile did not constitute burglary of a conveyance, because there was no entry. In State v. Hankins, 376 So. 2d 285 (Fla. 5th DCA 1979), the court determined that stealing hubcaps did not establish burglary of a conveyance, because there was no entry.
In contrast, the Third District in Anderson v. State, 415 So. 2d 829 (Fla. 3d DCA 1982), held that lifting a radiator from an engine compartment of a vehicle lacking a hood did constitute burglary of a conveyance, because the statute requires entry of only a portion of the defendant’s body into the vehicle. Similarly, in State v. Harvey, 403 So. 2d 630 (Fla. 2d DCA 1981), the court concluded that taking a starter by entering the engine compartment through the underside of the car was sufficient proof of entry.
It appears that courts in only six other jurisdictions have reported decisions on this issue. Of those, the courts in five have held that a defendant can be convicted of burglary of a conveyance by taking property from the open bed of a pickup truck. The statute in each of these jurisdictions requires, as does Florida’s, proof of entry into the vehicle with intent to commit a felony. People v. Romero, 179 Colo. 159, 499 P. 2d 604 (1972) (en banc); People v. Frey, 126 Ill.App.3d 484, 81 Ill.Dec. 602, 467 N.E. 2d 302 (1984); State v. Rodriguez, 101 N.M. 192, 679 P. 2d 1290, cert. denied, 101 N.M. 189, 679 P. 2d 1287 (1984); State v. Cloud, 324 N.W. 2d 287 (S.D.1982); Richardson v. State, 888 S.W. 2d 822 (Tex.Crim.App.1994) (en banc). Contra Smith v.
First Judicial Dist. Court, 75 Nev. 526, 347 P. 2d 526 (1959). It is possible, however, to distinguish the statutes in three of the jurisdictions which have upheld convictions— Frey, Cloud and Richardson—because their provisions prohibit entry into a vehicle, “or any part thereof,” terms which are not included in Florida’s burglary statute.
Even though section 810.02(1) does not include the language quoted above, we do not consider the absence of same a significant distinction from the South Dakota, Texas and Illinois statutes involved. Affirmance, moreover, is consistent with Florida decisional law, which, in its interpretation of Florida’s burglary statute, recognizes that entry of only a portion of a defendant’s body into a conveyance is sufficient proof of burglary. Reaching into the back bed of a pickup truck to remove a secured cooler is, in our judgment, properly considered a partial entry into the vehicle by the defendant and is more analogous to removing a radiator or starter from an engine compartment than taking a hubcap from a tire’s exterior or siphoning gas from a gas tank, neither of which involves entry by any part of one’s body into a vehicle.
AFFIRMED.
MINER and WEBSTER, JJ., concur.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
-
Drew v. State, 773 So. 2d 46 (Fla. 2000)…have applied a more expansive meaning to “entry.” For example, the Second District held in Word that the removal of a tire from a motor vehicle constituted a burglary. Other cases have reached seemingly similar results. See, e.g., Braswell v. State, 671 So. 2d 228, 229-30 (Fla. 1st DCA 1996) (holding that reaching into the bed of a pickup truck to remove a secured [*50] item within the truck was an entry); Greger v. State, 458 So. 2d 858, 860 (Fla. 3d DCA 1984) (holding that the loosening and removal of bolts…
-
State v. Word, 711 So. 2d 1240 (Fla. 2d DCA 1998)…ntry” requirement. We disagree. It is clear from a plain reading of the language of the statute that by removing the wheels and tires of the automobile, appellee entered the vehicle by taking apart a portion of the conveyance. See Braswell v. State, 671 So. 2d 228 (Fla. 1st DCA 1996); Zipperer v. State, 481 So. 2d 991 (Fla. 5th DCA 1986). Appellee’s theft of the wheels and tires removed from the automobile supply sufficient evidence of his intent to commit an offense after entering the automobile by taking ap…
-
Barton v. State, 797 So. 2d 1276 (Fla. 4th DCA 2001)…urglary as “entering or remaining in a structure or a conveyance with the intent to commit an offense therein, unless the premises are at the time open to the public or the defendant is licensed or invited to enter or remain.”1 In Braswell v. State, 671 So. 2d 228 (Fla. 1st DCA), review denied, 679 So. 2d 778 (Fla.1996), the first district interpreted “conveyance” to include the bed of a pickup truck in certain situations: Reaching into the back bed of a pickup truck to remove a secured cooler is, in our jud…
Previewing 3 of 4 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- State v. Hankins, 376 So. 2d 285 (Fla. 5th DCA 1979)
- R. E. S. v. State, 396 So. 2d 1219 (Fla. 1st DCA 1981)
- State v. Ransey R. Harvey, 403 So. 2d 630 (Fla. 2d DCA 1981)
- Smith v. State, 415 So. 2d 829 (Fla. 3d DCA 1982)