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

Fla. 4th DCA | 2005-12-21
No. 4D05-851
STEVENSON, C.J., POLEN and FARMER, JJ., concur.
915 So. 2d 1270 Florida District Court of Appeal, Fourth District (2005) Positive Treatment
Cited by 12 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

Timothy Wencel appeals the denial of his motion to correct an illegal sentence as a prison releasee reoffender (PRR). The court held that the trial court erred by refusing to take judicial notice of a parole commission order that was material to determining whether Wencel qualified for PRR sentencing, and remanded for reconsideration of the motion.


Holding

The trial court may take judicial notice of the parole commission's order when determining whether a defendant qualifies as a PRR. The order, being an official action of an administrative arm of the executive branch, is subject to judicial notice under Florida law and does not contain inadmissible hearsay.


Headnotes

[1] A motion to correct an illegal sentence under Fla. …

[2] A trial court can take judicial notice of official actions of the executive branch, including orders of administrative agencies like the parole commission.

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Key Quotes

“The trial court was not limited strictly to the record before the court "at sentencing" when addressing this 3.800(a) claim.”

Establishes that courts can look beyond the sentencing record when evaluating motions to correct illegal sentences

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Facts & Procedural History

Wencel was sentenced to prison in 1993 and released into a control release program in May 1994. In January 1996, he was arrested for allegedly violati…

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

Timothy Wencel appeals the denial of his motion to correct illegal sentence. Fla. R.Crim. P. 3.800(a). Wencel was sentenced as a prison releasee reoffender (PRR) to life in prison for the offense of armed burglary. In his motion, Wencel argued that he was improperly designated a PRR because he was not released from incarceration within the three years prior to the burglary offense. § 775.082(9)(a), Fla. Stat. (1998).

Wencel was sentenced to prison for a prior conviction in 1993 but was released into a control release program in May 1994. In January 1996, Wencel was arrested for allegedly violating the conditions of his control release. After a hearing, the parole commission determined that Wencel violated the conditions of his control release, but decided not to revoke Wencel’s supervision. Instead, the commission released Wencel from custody and discharged him from supervision on March 12, 1996. The trial court used the date Wencel was discharged from control release in calculating whether Wencel fell within the time frame for PRR sentencing.

Wencel’s motion argued that his temporary confinement, while revocation of control release supervision was considered, was not the equivalent of “releas[e] from a state correctional facility ... following incarceration” as these terms are used in the PRR statute. Brinson v. State, 851 So. 2d 815 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003) (applying the rule of lenity and concluding that “release” as used in the PRR statute means actual release from a state prison sentence, not release from temporary confinement that happens to be in a state prison).

Wencel supported his claim by filing a copy of the parole commission’s order which showed that his control release was not revoked. The trial court denied the motion, holding that Wencel could not raise this claim in a 3.800(a) motion because the illegality of the sentence was not discernable from the face of the record that was before the court at sentencing. The court held that an evidentiary hearing would be necessary before this extra-record evidence could be considered. Wencel argues that the court should have taken judicial notice of the parole commission’s order. We agree and remand for further proceedings.

The trial court believed it could not take judicial notice of the order of the parole commission. The authenticity of the order, which bore the seal of the State of Florida, was not challenged by anyone in these proceedings.

The trial court was not limited strictly to the record before the court “at sentencing” when addressing this 3.800(a) claim. See, e.g., Nelson v. State, 760 So. 2d 240 (Fla. 4th DCA 2000) (holding that in a rule 3.800(a) claim, when considering movant’s request for additional jail credit, the trial court should examine not only the court file, but jail records). In this situation, the order of the parole commission was sufficient record evidence to support a motion to correct illegal sentence.

The trial court can take judicial notice of the official actions of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. § 90.202(5), Fla. Stat. (2005). The order of the parole commission in this case is an official action by an administrative arm of the executive branch. The trial court’s conclusion that no authority existed for taking judicial notice of the parole commission’s order was mistaken. See also Dykes v. Quincy Tel. Co., 539 So. 2d 503 (Fla. 1st DCA 1989) (suggesting that court could take judicial notice of orders of administrative agencies).

The parole commission’s order does not contain inadmissible hearsay, and the legality of the PRR sentence in this situation could be determined as a matter of law without an evidentiary determination. See Burgess v. State, 831 So. 2d 137, 140 (Fla.2002) (explaining that court in a 3.800(a) proceeding can take judicial notice of court records and administrative jail records but not inadmissible hearsay such as police reports). The trial court should have taken judicial notice of the parole commission’s order and addressed the merits of Wencel’s motion. Accordingly, we reverse and remand for further proceedings.

STEVENSON, C.J., POLEN and FARMER, JJ., concur.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Kern R. Davis v. State, 164 So. 3d 96 (Fla. 4th DCA 2015)
    …conviction that qualified him as an HVFO. The State does not dispute the authenticity of the order vacating the prior robbery conviction. The trial court could take judicial notice of the order in ruling on the rule 3.800(a) motion. Wencel v. State, 915 So. 2d 1270 (Fla. 4th DCA 2005). Alternatively, this could have been treated as a rule 3.850 motion because it was filed within two years - of the order vacating the prior robbery conviction. The State does not dispute that this was the only offense qualifying…
  • Gibson v. State, 967 So. 2d 410 (Fla. 4th DCA 2007)
    …roneously imposed PRR sentencing in this case based on his release from temporary detention in 1997. In Gibson v. State, 944 So. 2d 426 (Fla. 4th DCA 2006), this court earlier held that case law supported Gibson’s challenge, citing Wencel v. State, 915 So. 2d 1270 (Fla. 4th DCA 2005), and Brinson v. State, 851 So. 2d 815 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003). We reversed the trial court’s summary denial of his motion and remanded for the trial court to consider the claim and to consider, as part of the record on remand, the rec…
  • Shaunte Collins v. State, 929 So. 2d 1188 (Fla. 4th DCA 2006)
    …Criminal Procedure 3.800(a). Collins’ motion includes claims that incorrect calculations were made on his scoresheet. We reverse and remand for further review of two of Collins’ three claims, which we find to be legally sufficient. Wencel v. State, 915 So. 2d 1270 (Fla. 4th DCA 2005). In his first point, Collins challenges the “prior record” points associated with one of two third degree felonies. In his third point, he challenges his “legal status” points and provides supporting dates associated with a Dep…

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