ASHLEY KAITLIN ROHR, PETITIONER,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, RESPONDENT
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Rohr petitions for a writ of prohibition to prevent retrial on criminal charges after the trial judge declared a mistrial sua sponte when she arrived twelve minutes late for trial. The court held that the mistrial lacked manifest necessity and therefore retrial would violate double jeopardy protections. The petition was granted.
The retrial is barred by the double jeoparty clauses of the Florida and United States constitutions because the trial judge failed to demonstrate manifest necessity for declaring the mistrial without the defendant's consent. The judge did not consider or reject all possible alternatives to terminating the trial before declaring a mistrial.
[1] Double jeopardy bars retrial when a trial judge sua sponte declares a mistrial based on a subjective impression of defense counsel's incompetence without considering and…
[2] A trial judge must consider and reject all possible alternatives before declaring a mistrial over the objection of the defendant.
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“A defendant has a "valued right" to have his or her trial completed by a particular tribunal.”
Establishes the constitutional protection underlying double jeopardy prohibition on retrial
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceRohr was charged with burglary, dealing in stolen property, theft, and pawnbroker fraud. Jury selection began on August 1, 2005, with trial continuing…
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NORTHCUTT, Judge.
Ashley Kaitlin Rohr petitions for a writ of prohibition preventing her retrial on criminal charges. Rohr maintains that there was no manifest necessity for the circuit court’s sua sponte declaration of a mistrial when Rohr was late arriving for her first trial and that her retrial would subject her to double jeopardy. We agree and grant the petition.
Rohr was charged with burglary of a dwelling, dealing in stolen property, third-degree grand theft, and giving false information on a pawnbroker form. On August 1, 2005, she timely appeared for trial, and jury selection began. After the jury was impaneled and sworn, the trial judge continued the trial until the next day at 9:30 a.m. However, when the trial was to begin the following morning, Rohr was not present. Rohr’s attorney reported to the judge that he had just spoken to his client by mobile phone and that she was either near the courthouse or at the courthouse entrance. A few minutes later, defense counsel advised that Rohr had just called him and stated that there had been an accident on Tampa’s Crosstown Expressway and that she would arrive in about three minutes.
The judge told counsel that Rohr had lied to him. Annoyed, the judge briefly considered allowing defense counsel to waive Rohr’s presence, then thought better of it. Instead, she sua sponte declared a mistrial, ordered Rohr’s bond estreated, issued a capias, and discharged the jury. At that point, Rohr was twelve minutes late. Approximately eight minutes after that, Rohr arrived at the courtroom and was taken into custody. Later, when a retrial was scheduled, Rohr moved to dismiss the case on double jeopardy grounds. The trial judge denied the motion, whereupon Rohr filed the instant petition.
We conclude that Rohr’s retrial is barred by the double jeopardy clauses of the Florida and United States constitutions. A defendant has a “valued right” to have his or her trial completed by a particular tribunal. See Thomason v. State, 620 So. 2d 1234 (Fla.1993). Unless there is a manifest necessity for declaring a mistrial without the defendant’s consent, a retrial is barred under the double jeopardy clause. See United States v. Perez, 22 U.S. (9 Wheat.) 579, 6 L.Ed. 165 (1824).
Manifest necessity for declaring a mistrial without obtaining the defendant’s consent may be demonstrated only if the trial court has considered and rejected all possible alternatives. See Thomason, 620 So. 2d at 1239; Wilson v. State, 693 So. 2d 616 (Fla. 2d DCA 1997); C.A.K. v. State, 661 So. 2d 365, 367 (Fla. 2d DCA 1995). When, in this case, the prosecutor asked the trial judge whether she would declare that the mistrial was due to a manifest necessity, the judge stated, simply: “Yes. A manifest necessity because she’s not here and everybody else is.”
Clearly, at that point the judge had not considered all possible alternatives to terminating the trial. Having been told that Rohr had just telephoned to say she would arrive within a few minutes, one very obvious alternative was to wait. We understand the judge’s frustration at Rohr’s failure to appear on time, especially in light of her belief that Rohr had lied to her counsel about the reason for her tardiness. But we note that this lie (if, in fact, it was a lie) simply did not establish a manifest necessity for a mistrial. The petition for writ of prohibition is granted. Rohr shall not be retried for the crimes charged in Thirteenth Circuit case no. 04-CF-022445.
Granted.
DAVIS and WALLACE, JJ., Concur.
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Citator
Cited By
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Moody v. State, 931 So. 2d 177 (Fla. 2d DCA 2006)…ssion A petition for writ of prohibition is the proper vehicle by which to challenge a ruling that permits the prosecution of a defendant in violation of his federal and Florida constitutional protections against double jeopardy. See Rohr v. State, 916 So. 2d 1002 (Fla. 2d DCA 2006); Murray v. Chavies, 671 So. 2d 183, 184 (Fla. 3d DCA 1996); Beebe v. Foster, 661 So. 2d 401, 402 (Fla. 1st DCA 1995). As is well known, the double jeopardy protections prohibit retrying a defendant after a jury has acquitted him…
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Chapinoff v. State, 2 So. 3d 1080 (Fla. 3d DCA 2009)…trine, create a “manifest necessity” for discharging the jury, so as to preclude a double jeopardy violation. See United States v. Perez, 22 U.S. at 579-80; Thomason v. State, 620 So. 2d 1234 (Fla.1993); Williams, 90 So. 2d at 713-14; Rohr v. State, 916 So. 2d 1002 (Fla. 2d DCA 2006); Jackson v. State, 855 So. 2d 178 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003); Perkins v. Graziano, 608 So. 2d 532 (Fla. 5th DCA 1992); [*1083] Parce v. Byrd, 533 So. 2d 812 (Fla. 5th DCA 1988); Spaziano v. State, 429 So. 2d 1344 (Fla. 2d DCA 1983); see…
Authorities Cited
- The United States v. Josef Perez, 9 Wheat. 579 (U.S. 1824)
- Thomason v. State, 620 So. 2d 1234 (Fla. 1993)
- C.A.K. v. State, 661 So. 2d 365 (Fla. 2d DCA 1995)
- Wilson v. State, 693 So. 2d 616 (Fla. 2d DCA 1997)