STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLANT,
v.
THOMAS BLAIN RESH, APPELLEE

Fla. 5th DCA | 2008-09-19
No. 5D07-3103
PLEUS and LAWSON, JJ„ concur.
992 So. 2d 294 Florida District Court of Appeal, Fifth District (2008) Positive Treatment
Cited by 6 cases

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Synopsis

The State appealed a trial court's downward departure sentence and refusal to score victim injury points in a case where the defendant pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident involving death and related offenses. The appellate court affirmed, finding that the trial court's downward departure was supported by competent, substantial evidence of the defendant's substantially impaired mental capacity.


Holding

The court affirmed the downward departure sentence as supported by competent, substantial evidence that Resh's capacity to appreciate the criminal nature of his conduct was substantially impaired due to his severe mental deficiencies. The State's failure to contemporaneously object to the refusal to score victim injury points precluded review of that issue on appeal.


Headnotes

[1] A party's failure to contemporaneously object to an alleged error in the trial court precludes appellate review of that issue.

[2] A trial court's decision to impose a downward departure sentence is reviewed for an abuse of discretion.

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Key Quotes

“A trial court's decision to impose a downward departure sentence requires a two-step analysis [...] First, it must determine whether there is a valid legal ground supported by adequate facts [...] Second, the trial court must determine whether the downward departure is the best sentencing option for the defendant.”

Establishes the legal standard for reviewing downward departure sentences

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Facts & Procedural History

Thomas Blain Resh struck and killed a thirteen-year-old boy while running a red light. Resh fled the scene but turned himself in two weeks later. He p…

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Opinion of the Court
COHEN, J.

COHEN, J.

The State challenges the trial court’s downward departure sentence and refusal to score victim injury points on Thomas Blain Resh’s Criminal Punishment Code Scoresheet. We affirm.

This case arises from the tragic death of a thirteen-year-old boy who was struck and killed while crossing the road after Resh ran a red light. Resh fled the scene, but ultimately turned himself in to the police two weeks later. After Resh pled guilty to leaving the scene of an accident involving death, tampering with physical evidence, and operating a vehicle without a driver’s license causing death, the trial court scheduled sentencing.

At sentencing, the trial court orally pronounced that it was imposing a downward departure sentence. The State objected to the downward departure from the sentencing guidelines, but not the refusal to add victim injury points. In its written order, the trial court explained the reasons for its downward departure and also its refusal to score victim injury points. Although arguing on appeal that the trial court erred in not adding victim injury points, the State never contemporaneously objected. The State’s failure to bring this error to the attention of the trial court precludes it from raising the issue now. See Fla. R.App. P. 9.140(e).

The State also challenges the trial court’s basis for the downward departure from the sentencing guidelines. A trial court’s decision to impose a downward departure sentence requires a two-step analysis. First, it must determine whether there is a valid legal ground supported by adequate facts. Banks v. State, 732 So. 2d 1065, 1067 (Fla.1999). This is a mixed question of fact and law that will be sustained if the correct rule of law was applied and it is supported by competent, substantial evidence. Id. Second, the trial court must determine whether the downward departure is the best sentencing option for the defendant. Id. at 1068. This is reviewed for an abuse of discretion. Id.

The trial court gave two reasons for its downward departure. First, that Resh’s capacity to appreciate the criminal nature of his conduct or conform his conduct to the requirements of law was substantially impaired. Second, that the offense was an isolated incident that was committed in an unsophisticated manner for which Resh had shown remorse. Both of these reasons are statutory bases and, therefore, permissible legal grounds to downwardly depart. See § 921.0026(c), (j), Fla. Stat. (2005). Thus, it must be determined whether competent, substantial evidence supports either of these grounds. See § 921.001(6), Fla. Stat. (2005) (where at least one reason justifies a downward departure, it will be upheld even though other reasons are invalid); State v. Clay, 780 So. 2d 269 (Fla. 5th DCA 2001).

This court must affirm the downward departure based on the trial court’s finding that Resh’s capacity to appreciate the criminal nature of his conduct was substantially impaired. The trial court found that Resh’s judgment and decision making were on the same level as an elementary school child. The trial court also found that Resh suffered from severe mental deficiencies, including significant memory problems, and had only the most basic level of cognitive/neuropsychological functioning. These findings were amply supported by a psychologist’s written report containing her clinical observations and indicating that Resh was borderline mentally retarded based on his I.Q. test score of 75. Accordingly, it was not an abuse of discretion to impose a downward departure sentence on this basis. See State v. Williams, 870 So. 2d 938 (Fla. 5th DCA 2004) (affirm ing downward departure based on diminished mental capacity where the defendant scored 68 and 70 on I.Q. tests, had memory, concentration, and attention problems, as well as significant physical problems).

AFFIRMED.

PLEUS and LAWSON, JJ„ concur.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • State v. Fureman, 161 So. 3d 403 (Fla. 5th DCA 2014)
    …ing a downward departure sentence.” Id. The lower court downwardly departed pursuant to section 921.0026(2)(j), Florida Statutes (2011), which is a statutory basis and, therefore, is a permissible legal reason to downward depart. See State v. Resh, 992 So. 2d 294 (Fla. 5th DCA 2008). We, therefore, address whether there is competent, substantial evidence to support a finding of unsophistication. The trial court reasoned that because Fureman did not post the advertisement, he committed the offenses in an uns…
  • State v. Betancourt, 40 So. 3d 53 (Fla. 5th DCA 2010)
    …ined on review absent an abuse of discretion. Discretion is abused only where no reasonable person would agree with the trial court’s decision. (Emphasis supplied). See also State v. Geoghagan, 27 So. 3d 111, 113 (Fla. 1st DCA 2009); State v. Resh, 992 So. 2d 294 (Fla. 5th DCA 2008). Thus, while the list of statutory departure reasons provided in section 921.0026(2), Florida Statutes (2008), is not exclusive, a downward departure for reasons not set out by statute is permissible only if supported by compete…
  • Mediate v. State, 108 So. 3d 703 (Fla. 5th DCA 2013)
    …ns supporting a sentencing departure are statutorily required to be set forth in writing, but held that a party must preserve the right to challenge this sentencing error on appeal by raising the issue first in the trial court. Accord State v. Resh, 992 So. 2d 294 (Fla. 5th DCA 2008). Here, the defendant is raising the issue of the trial court’s failure to set forth written reasons for departure for the first time on appeal; therefore, we reject this claim of error as waived. The defendant next contends that…

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