AARON NEWSOME, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. 4th DCA | 2009-10-07
No. 4D08-3467
WARNER and HAZOURI, JJ., concur.
19 So. 3d 1091 Florida District Court of Appeal, Fourth District (2009)

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

Aaron Newsome appeals the trial court's summary denial of his Rule 3.850 motion for postconviction relief, claiming ineffective assistance of counsel regarding jury instructions on burglary, failure to communicate a plea offer, and inadequate presentation of property valuation evidence. The appellate court affirmed the denial, finding all claims refuted by the record.


Holding

The trial court properly denied all three claims for postconviction relief because each claim was refuted by the record. The 'remaining in' instruction was proper because a fenced backyard constitutes the curtilage of a dwelling, and the record showed Newsome surreptitiously remained there, satisfying the statutory requirements for burglary.


Headnotes

[1] A fenced backyard can qualify as a dwelling or structure for the purposes of the burglary statute.

[2] The crime of burglary includes surreptitiously remaining in a dwelling, structure, or conveyance with the intent to commit an offense therein.

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Key Quotes

“Notwithstanding a licensed or invited entry, remaining in a dwelling, structure, or a conveyance: a. Surreptictiously, with the intent to commit an offense therein”

Establishes the statutory definition of burglary through remaining in a structure surreptitiously, which applied to Newsome's conduct.

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Facts & Procedural History

On February 14, 2004, Newsome was found crouched behind a car in the fenced backyard of Susan Beitelshees' residence after a loud crash was heard. An …

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Opinion of the Court
POLEN, J.

POLEN, J.

Appellant, Aaron Newsome, appeals the trial court’s summary denial of his motion for postconviction relief brought pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure Rule 3.850.

Newsome was charged by information with one count of burglary of a dwelling and one count of grand theft, curtilage of a dwelling for events occurring on February 14, 2004. Around 11:30 p.m. on February 14, Susan Beitelshees heard a loud crash in the fenced backyard of her residence. Beitelshees called her son who came to the home. Upon arriving, Beitelshees’ son found Newsome crouched behind a car in the driveway. An air compressor, a tool box, and a dolly had been removed from an open trailer stored in the backyard and placed on the ground next to the trailer. The police arrived and arrested Newsome.

As to his first claim, Newsome asserts that his counsel was ineffective for not objecting to the court’s use of the phrase “remaining in” during the jury instruction. The State, in its response to Newsome’s motion for post-conviction relief, argued that it was not error to use the phrase because the facts of the case did support a surreptitious remaining. The State’s record attachments, which were provided to *1092the trial court, conclusively refute this particular claim set forth by Newsome.

In arguing that the record did support a finding that Newsome “surreptitiously remained,” making the “remaining in” language proper, the State cites portions of the record in which Newsome admits to entering the Beitelshees’ backyard without consent for the purpose of “hiding” and “finding a safe place to sleep.” The crime of burglary, as defined by section 810.02(l)(b), Florida Statutes (2007), includes:

(1) Entering a dwelling, a structure, or a conveyance with the intent to commit an offense therein, unless the premises are at the time open to the public or the defendant is licensed or invited to enter; or
(2) Notwithstanding a licensed or invited entry, remaining in a dwelling, structure, or conveyance:
a. Surreptitiously, with the intent to commit an offense therein;
b. After permission to remain therein has been withdrawn, with the intent to commit an offense therein; or
c. To commit or attempt to commit a forcible felony, as defined in s. 776.08.

§ 810.02(l)(b), Fla. Stat. (2007). Section 810.011 defines structure and dwelling:

(1) “Structure” means a building of any kind, either temporary or permanent, which has a roof over it, together with the curtilage thereof....
(2) “Dwelling” means a building or conveyance of any kind, including any attached porch, whether such building or conveyance is temporary or permanent, mobile or immobile, which has a roof over it and is designed to be occupied by people lodging therein at night, together with the curtilage thereof....

§ 810.011, Fla. Stat. (2007) (emphasis added). Finally, in State v. Hamilton, 660 So.2d 1038 (Fla.1995), the Florida Supreme Court held that an enclosed yard was part of the curtilage of a dwelling. Id. at 1044. (“[Strict construction] requires us to carry forward the common law requirement of some form of an enclosure in order for the area surrounding a residence to be considered part of the ‘curtilage’ as referred to in the burglary statute”).

Because a fenced backyard qualifies as a dwelling or structure as defined in section 810.011, Florida Statutes (2007), the fact that Newsome may have remained in the Beitelshees’ backyard supports the State’s position that the “remaining in” instruction was proper. Accordingly, Newsome’s first claim is refuted by the record and the trial court did not err in summarily denying him relief on this ground.

As to Newsome’s other two claims, regarding his counsel’s alleged failure to adequately communicate the State’s plea offer and properly present evidence of fair market value of each listed piece of property, we find these claims refuted by the record as well.

Affirmed.

WARNER and HAZOURI, JJ., concur.


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