STEVE LAMONT JOHNSON, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. 1st DCA | 1999-05-05
No. 98-165
JOANOS, MINER and DAVIS, JJ., CONCUR.
737 So. 2d 555 Florida District Court of Appeal, First District (1999) Caution
Cited by 22 cases

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Synopsis

Steve Johnson was convicted of attempted armed robbery, attempted second-degree murder, and causing bodily injury during the commission of a felony (burglary). On appeal, Johnson challenged whether the state proved burglary occurred, arguing entry into a publicly-open convenience store cannot constitute burglary. The court affirmed, holding that although the store itself was open to the public, the restricted area behind the cash register where Johnson forced entry was not open to the public and thus burglary was properly established.


Holding

The court affirmed Johnson's conviction for causing bodily injury during the commission of a burglary. Although the convenience store was open to the public, the area behind the cash register counter was not open to the public, and Johnson was told by an owner that he was not permitted in that area. Therefore, Johnson's forced entry into this restricted area constituted burglary as a matter of law.


Headnotes

[1] A conviction is fundamentally erroneous when the facts affirmatively proven by the state do not constitute the charged offense as a matter of law, even if the issue was n…

[2] Entry into a portion of premises that is not open to the public constitutes burglary, even if the overall premises are open to the public.

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Key Quotes

“if a defendant can establish that the premises were open to the public, then this is a complete defense to a burglary charge”

Establishes the general rule from Miller v. State that the court must address and distinguish

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Facts & Procedural History

Johnson and a co-defendant, masked and armed with guns, entered a convenience store that was open for business. Johnson forced one owner (Mr. Goswami)…

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

Appellant raises three issues in the instant appeal. We affirm on all three issues raised, but we write to address only one.

Following trial by jury, appellant was convicted as charged of attempted armed robbery while wearing a mask, attempted second degree murder, and causing bodily injury during the commission of a felony, specifically burglary. Appellant contends that his conviction for causing bodily injury during the commission of a felony cannot stand because the state did not establish an essential element,of this crime, ie., commission of the felony of burglary as charged. The state is correct that this specific claim was not preserved for appeal, but as appellant points out, a conviction is fundamentally erroneous when the facts affirmatively proven by the state do not constitute the charged offense as a matter of law. See Harris v. State, 647 So. 2d 206, 208 (Fla. 1st DCA 1994); K.A.N. v. State, 582 So. 2d 57, 59 (Fla. 1st DCA 1991) (“[A] conviction in the absence of a prima facie showing of the crime charged is fundamental error that may be addressed by the appellate court even though not urged below.”). We therefore review the issue to determine whether fundamental error exists.

In the instant case, appellant argues that under the burglary statute, entry into premises open to the public is excluded from the definition of burglary. See § 810.02(1), Florida Statutes (1995). He thus claims that because the convenience store was open to the public when he entered, the state failed to establish that a burglary occurred. As the facts of this case demonstrate, however, appellant’s claim fails.

In need of bail money for his girlfriend, appellant and his co-defendant, with masked faces and guns drawn, entered a convenience store that was open for business. While holding a gun on Mr. Gos-wami, one of the store owners, appellant followed him behind the check-out counter where the cash register was located, heedless of the other store owner’s command that appellant was not permitted in that area. After appellant entered the prohibited area, he turned and fired twice at Mrs. Goswami, wounding her hand. Mr. Goswami immediately began to struggle with appellant’s co-felon, and when appellant began striking her husband, Mrs. Gos-wami fought with appellant. During the fray, Mrs. Goswami obtained the gun she and her husband kept in their shop. Having armed herself, she held the gun on appellant, told the two perpetrators to leave her husband alone, and shot appellant’s cohort.

We recognize that the supreme court has recently held that “if a defendant can establish that the premises were open to the public, then this is a complete defense” to a burglary charge. Miller v. State, 24 Fla. L. Weekly S155, 733 So. 2d 955 (Fla. 1998). It is undisputed that in the instant case the store was open to the public when appellant entered. The area behind the cash-register counter was not, however, an area open to the public. This point was clearly made to appellant by an owner of the store before appellant forced the other owner to the cash register at gunpoint and followed him into the prohibited area. We thus affirm appellant’s conviction for causing bodily injury during the commission of a burglary. See Dakes v. State, 545 So. 2d 939, 940 (Fla. 3d DCA 1989)(“We hold that although the store itself was open to the public, the closed storeroom to which access was clearly restricted was not part of the premises open to the public, within the scope of section 810.02.”); Florida Standard-Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases, Burglary § 810.02 (July 1997).

JOANOS, MINER and DAVIS, JJ., CONCUR.


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Citator

Cited By (11 total)

  • Johnson v. State, 786 So. 2d 1162 (Fla. 2001)
    …HARDING, J. We have for review Johnson v. State, 737 So. 2d 555 (Fla. 1st DCA 1999), which is in apparent conflict with the opinions in State v. Laster, 735 So. 2d 481 (Fla.1999); State v. Butler, 735 So. 2d 481 (Fla.1999); and Miller v. State, 733 So. 2d 955 (Fla.1999). We have jurisdiction pursuant to article…
  • Buzia v. State, 82 So. 3d 784 (Fla. 2011)
    …t. In this case, Mrs. Kersch gave Buzia limited consent to enter only the porch area and specifically told him to await her husband there. Accordingly, Buzia did not have consent to enter the house when he attacked Mrs. Kersch. Cf. Johnson v. State, 737 So. 2d 555, 556-57 (Fla. 1st DCA 1999) (affirming conviction of causing bodily injury during the commission of a burglary where, although convenience store was open to the public, the owner clearly told defendant he was not allowed in the area behind the cash…
  • Vargas v. State, 751 So. 2d 665 (Fla. 3d DCA 2000)
    …to enter. The only refusal occurred when the defendant wanted to use a credit card; however, upon presentation of cash, he was admitted. Additionally, the state has failed to prove that the TV and VCR were in a private office. See Johnson v. State, 737 So. 2d 555 (Fla. 1st DCA 1999) (burglary committed where owner specifically told defendant that area behind convenience store counter was not open to the public despite the store itself being open to the public). The record is silent on which room the items we…

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