JAMES DUKES, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. 4th DCA | 2001-10-17
No. 4D00-944
WARNER and KLEIN, JJ., concur.
796 So. 2d 1265 Florida District Court of Appeal, Fourth District (2001) Positive Treatment
Cited by 2 cases

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.

Synopsis

James Dukes was convicted of burglary of a dwelling and possession of burglary tools after he unlawfully entered a fenced property and attempted to remove an air conditioning unit. The court affirmed the burglary conviction but reversed the possession of burglary tools conviction, finding that the pliers were used to commit theft, not to facilitate entry onto the property.


Holding

The court affirmed the burglary conviction because Dukes unlawfully entered the curtilage of the dwelling with intent to commit theft. However, the court reversed the possession of burglary tools conviction because the pliers were used to commit theft inside the premises, not to facilitate entry onto the property, and possession of tools used for offenses committed inside the premises does not support a conviction for possession of burglary tools.


Headnotes

[1] Possession of burglary tools requires proof that the tools were possessed with the intent to commit burglary or trespass, not merely to commit a theft once inside the pre…

[2] The curtilage of a dwelling, including enclosed grounds surrounding the property, is considered part of the dwelling for purposes of burglary.

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Key Quotes

“the supreme court distinguished between a tool which was used or intended to be used to commit a burglary and a tool used or intended to be used to commit an offense once inside the premises. The court held that possession of the former will support a conviction of possession of burglary tools, while possession of the latter will not.”

Establishes the critical legal distinction that determines whether possession of burglary tools conviction is proper

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Facts & Procedural History

Three undercover officers observed Dukes approaching a house on a bicycle. The house was surrounded by a chain link fence with a closed gate. Dukes en…

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Opinion of the Court
SHAHOOD, J.

SHAHOOD, J.

Appellant was observed by three undercover officers approaching a house on his bicycle. The house was described by one witness as having a big yard with a chain link fence around it, and a driveway with a closed gate. Appellant parked his bicycle on the sidewalk, and proceeded through the unlocked gate on to the property and up to the house. He peered through the window of the house, and then began jiggling the air conditioning unit which was mounted in the window. He removed various pieces of aluminum from around the frame of the air conditioner, and placed the aluminum in a pile by the fence. Then, he returned to his bicycle, retrieved a bag containing a pair of pliers, and went back to the air conditioner. With the pliers, appellant removed the bolts which held the unit in the window frame. He then pushed the unit, and it fell into the house.

A jury found appellant guilty of burglary of a dwelling (count I) and possession of burglary tools (count II). He was acquitted of two other charges. He appeals his convictions, as well as the habitual offender sentence of concurrent, twelve — and ten-year prison terms. We affirm the conviction on count I without further discussion, but reverse the conviction on count II.

With regard to the charge of possession of burglary tools, appellant argues that he was entitled to a judgment of acquittal because the evidence in this case showed that the pliers were used to commit, at most, a theft, and not a burglary.

We agree. In Calliar v. State, 760 So. 2d 885 (Fla.1999), the supreme court distinguished between a tool which was used or intended to be used to commit a burglary and a tool used or intended to be used to commit an offense once inside the premises. The court held that possession of the former will support a conviction of possession of burglary tools, while possession of the latter will not. See also § 810.06, Fla. Stat. (1999)(“Whoever has in his or her possession any tool, ... with intent to use the same, ... to commit any burglary or trespass shall be guilty of a felony of the third degree.”) In Calliar, the court reversed the conviction for possession of burglary tools where it was shown that the appellant had unlawfully entered the premises through an open gate, and that he possessed the tools with the intent to commit a theft of a bicycle, not to facilitate his entry on to the premises. Id. at 887.

The holding in Calliar is consistent with the burglary statute, where the terms “structure” and “dwelling” include the curtilage. See § 810.011(1), (2), Fla. Stat. (2000). The “curtilage” includes the grounds surrounding the property, so long as it is enclosed. See generally State v. Hamilton, 660 So. 2d 1038, 1044-45 (Fla.1995).

In this case, the Information states, [appellant] did unlawfully, enter or remain in a structure, to-wit: a dwelling, or the curtilage thereof, ..., with intent to commit therein the offense of Theft,

It was established that a chain link fence surrounded the house, and that appellant had no authority to enter. Thus, once appellant entered the curtilage through the gate, the burglary of “a dwelling, or the curtilage thereof’ was complete. Since appellant did not use the pliers to facilitate his entry on to the property, his conviction for possession of burglary tools was improper. Accordingly, appellant’s conviction on count II is reversed, and the cause remanded for resentencing. At sentencing, the state shall be allowed to present evidence of all elements necessary to substantiate a habitual offender sentence.

AFFIRMED IN PART; REVERSED IN PART AND REMANDED.

WARNER and KLEIN, JJ., concur.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Michael v. State, 51 So. 3d 574 (Fla. 5th DCA 2010)
    …was done in an unsuccessful attempt to gain entry into the house itself. It appears undisputed that whoever damaged the back of the house had entered the curtilage without the owner’s permission. See § 810.011(2), Fla. Stat. (2008); Dukes v. State, 796 So. 2d 1265 (Fla. 4th DCA 2001) (“[0]nce appellant entered the curtilage ... the burglary of ‘a dwelling or the curtilage thereof was complete.”). We agree with the State that the combination of its direct eyewitness testimony placing Michael in the back yard a…

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