TIMOTHY SAVAGE, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. 2d DCA | 2002-10-18
No. 2D02-1472
CASANUEVA, STRINGER, and SILBERMAN, JJ., Concur.
832 So. 2d 807 Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District (2002) Positive Treatment
Cited by 15 cases

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Holding

The court held that the trial court erred in summarily denying the defendant's claims of ineffective assistance of counsel regarding failure to move for a judgment of acquittal and failure to file a motion to suppress statements.


Headnotes

[1] A claim that the trial court lacked jurisdiction because the premises were open to the public is a direct appeal issue, not cognizable in a rule 3.850 proceeding.

[2] Ineffective assistance of counsel claims based on failure to move for a judgment of acquittal require a determination of whether the evidence, if presented, would have ob…

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Facts & Procedural History

Timothy Savage was convicted of burglary of a structure after entering an open area behind a store and picking up a toolbox. He alleged police coercio…

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

Timothy Savage appeals the summary denial of his Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.850 motion. We affirm in part and reverse in part.

Savage was convicted of burglary of a structure. Savage’s factual allegations concerning the circumstances surrounding the offense are as follows. Savage walked through an open gate into an area behind a plumbing supply store. No signs were posted indicating whether the area was open or closed to the public. Savage walked across the back of the lot into an area that was covered by a roof but had no walls. He picked up a toolbox. At that point, the owner of the store came out of the back of the store and asked Savage what he was doing. Savage asked him whether the toolbox was for sale. The owner told Savage that it was not for sale and directed Savage to leave. Savage then left the area.

Savage further alleged that about a half hour after he left the area, he was approached by a police officer who assured him that he was not in trouble and promised him drug treatment if he would tell him about the toolbox and his entry into the fenced area. He also contended that he was questioned about the offense after being arrested and before he was read his Miranda

rights.

Savage’s first claim was that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to enter a conviction and sentence because he established his affirmative defense that the structure was open to the public. This is a direct appeal issue and not cognizable in a rule 3.850 proceeding. See Jenkins v. State, 794 So. 2d 654 (Fla. 2d DCA 2001). In his motion for rehearing, which was denied by the trial court, Savage argued that the issue could not be raised on appeal because his attorney did not preserve it. Savage’s first claim was restated in his second claim. He alleged that his trial counsel was ineffective for fading to move for a judgment of acquittal on his affirmative defense that the premises were open to the public at the close of the State’s case. The trial court denied the motion, opining that the evidence on this issue was conflicting and that the motion would have been denied.

The attachments to the order denying relief contain excerpts of testimony presented at trial. The testimony that pertained to whether the premises appeared to be open to the public was given by the owner of the property and the arresting police officer. Both testified that no signs were posted to show that the area was for employees only or that it was closed to the public. Both testified that the gate was open. The owner stated that members of the public had occasionally entered the area through the gate without permission. The owner testified that the area was not open to the public.

In 1997 the standard jury instruction on burglary was amended to add:

A person may be guilty of this offense if he or she entered into or remained in areas of the premises which he or she knew or should have known were not open to the public.

Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases, 697 So. 2d 84, 90 (Fla.1997). The question of whether a certain area is open to the public is generally a jury question. See Johnson v. State, 786 So. 2d 1162, 1164 (Fla.2001). However under the facts of this case, as represented by the attachments to the trial court order denying relief and Savage’s allegations, the court would have been obligated to grant a motion for judgment of acquittal had his counsel so moved. There is no evidence in the attachments to the trial court’s order that Savage or any reasonable person would conclude that the area was not open to the public. Whether additional documents in the trial court record would alter this conclusion should be determined by the trial court. Accordingly, we reverse the denial of relief on this issue and remand for further consideration.

Savage’s final claim was that his counsel was ineffective for failing to file a motion to suppress the statements he made to law enforcement based on his contention that he was coerced into answering the officer’s questions and was questioned prior to being read his Miranda rights. The trial court cited to the probable cause affidavit and the trial testimony of the arresting officer as its basis for concluding that a motion to suppress would have been fruitless. We reverse because this factual dispute, based on the limited record before this court, appears to require resolution through an evidentiary hearing. See Cintron v. State, 508 So. 2d 1315, 1316 (Fla. 2d DCA 1987). Again, on remand the trial court must determine whether additional documents in the record obviate the need for an evidentiary hearing.

Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.

CASANUEVA, STRINGER, and SILBERMAN, JJ., Concur. . Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966).


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Citator

Cited By

  • Mansfield v. State, 954 So. 2d 74 (Fla. 4th DCA 2007)
    …hnson v. State, 786 So. 2d 1162, 1164 (Fla.2001). Although in some cases, it has been held that there was no evidence which showed that a reasonable person would conclude that a particular area was not open to the public, see, e.g., Savage v. State, 832 So. 2d 807 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002), in this case a question of fact was raised. Therefore, the trial court properly denied the motion for judgment of acquittal. Mansfield also asserts that the trial court erred in denying his motion for judgment of acquittal on th…
  • Chouquer v. State, 950 So. 2d 1276 (Fla. 2d DCA 2007)
    …ent claim and that a factual dispute exists as to whether he was in custody for purposes of Miranda, whether his rights were violated, and whether counsel was ineffective for failing to investigate and file a motion to suppress. See Savage v. State, 832 So. 2d 807, 809 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002); Cintron v. State, 508 So. 2d 1315, 1316 (Fla. 2d DCA 1987). Accordingly, we reverse. On remand, the postconviction court shall conduct an evidentiary hearing, unless the court is able to attach portions of the record that co…
  • Hoppert v. State, 68 So. 3d 382 (Fla. 2d DCA 2011)
    …as correct in denying Hoppert’s motion, it should have done so on the ground that claims of insufficiency of the evidence are not cognizable in a rule 3.850 motion and should be raised on direct appeal. See Fla. R.Crim. P. 3.850(a); Savage v. State, 832 So. 2d 807, 808 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002) (holding that an argument establishing an affirmative defense to burglary was a direct appeal issue and not cognizable in a rule 3.850 proceeding); Jackson v. State, 640 So. 2d 1173, 1174 (Fla. 2d DCA 1994) (“[I]t is well-set…

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