STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLANT,
v.
ANTHONY DESHAWN GLOVER, APPELLEE
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The State appeals a trial court's downward departure sentence for a convicted felon's possession of a firearm. The trial court justified the departure based on the defendant's reasonable perception of danger from prior threats. The appellate court reversed, finding the departure was an abuse of discretion because the circumstances did not reasonably support allowing a convicted felon to carry a firearm.
The trial court abused its discretion in imposing the downward departure sentence. Although the court did not need to address whether the reason for departure was legally valid under step 1 of the Banks test, the departure failed step 2 because the circumstances did not reasonably support allowing a convicted felon to possess a firearm, and there was no indication the defendant reasonably believed danger was immediate or imminent.
[1] A trial court may depart from statutory sentencing guidelines only if there are mitigating circumstances or factors as provided by statute.
[2] Imposing a downward departure sentence requires a two-step process: first, determining if a valid legal ground exists, and second, weighing the totality of circumstances…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“A trial court may not impose a sentence that departs from the statutory guidelines "unless there are mitigating circumstances or factors present as provided in s. 921.0026."”
Establishes the statutory requirement that departure sentences must be justified by mitigating circumstances.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceOfficers responded to a nightclub disturbance at 2:00 a.m. and found the defendant sitting in a car with a loaded handgun on the floorboard and mariju…
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The State appeals a downward departure sentence. Appellee was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of marijuana. Appel-lee pled no contest to possession of marijuana and a bench trial was conducted as to the possession of a firearm charge. During the trial, an officer testified he responded to a nightclub at 2:00 a.m. in reference to a disturbance involving a patron armed with a weapon. He testified nightclub security guards directed him to appellee’s car, in which he was sitting with a large handgun on the floorboard between his legs and marijuana in his possession. Another officer testified appellee said the gun was his. Appellee testified he did not know the gun was in the car; however, he stated he was in fear for his safety because on two occasions during the two days prior to his arrest, a man with a gun threatened him and his family. When asked if he was afraid the man who threatened him would be at the club, appellee responded he had never been to that club before. The trial court found appellee guilty and imposed a downward departure sentence, finding his “perception of danger was real and reasonable.”
A trial court may not impose a sentence that departs from the statutory guidelines “unless there are mitigating circumstances or factors present as provided in s. 921.0026.” § 921.00265, Fla. Stat. (2006). Section 921.0026, Florida Statutes (2006), provides a non-exclusive list of mitigating circumstances that reasonably justify departure.
In Banks v. State, 732 So.2d 1065, 1067-68 (Fla.1999), the supreme court outlined *39the two-step process for imposing a departure sentence. “First, the [trial] the court must determine whether it can depart, i.e., whether there is a valid legal ground,” explaining “[l]egal grounds are set forth in case law and statute.” Id. at 1067. (emphasis in original). “Second ... the trial court further must determine whether it shoidd depart ... weighing] the totality of the circumstances in the case, including aggravating and mitigating factors.” Id. at 1068 (emphasis in original). This determination is reviewed for abuse of discretion, which is abused “only where no reasonable person would agree with the trial court’s decision.” Id.
Here, it is unnecessary for this court to determine whether the trial court’s reason for departure was legally valid, meeting step 1 of the Banks test. The trial court’s reason for departure fails step 2 of the Banks test as it was clearly an abuse of discretion.
Weighing the totality of the circumstances, the trial court’s decision to impose a downward departure sentence for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon was not reasonable. The evidence established appellee was arrested after a disturbance involving a firearm at a nightclub. He was identified as the person in possession of the firearm. The arrest occurred in the parking lot of a nightclub at 2:00 a.m. Appellee was in possession of marijuana. There was no indication appellee reasonably believed that danger was immediate or imminent.1
Therefore, we reverse and remand for resentencing within the guidelines. See Pope v. State, 561 So.2d 554, 556 (Fla.1990) (citing Shull v. Dugger, 515 So.2d 748 (Fla.1987)) (finding resentencing must be within the guidelines “when the initial reasons [for departure] had been reversed by an appellate court”); State v. Owens, 848 So.2d 1199 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003) (reversing and remanding for resentencing within the guidelines where the trial court’s reason for departure was invalid).
HAWKES, C.J, and WETHERELL, J., concur.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
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Glover v. State, 75 So. 3d 238 (Fla. 2011)…PER CURIAM. We have for review State v. Glover, 25 So. 3d 38 (Fla. 1st DCA 2009), in which the First District Court of Appeal reversed a downward departure sentence and remanded for sentencing within the statutory guidelines. Petitioner alleges express and direct conflict with State v. Williams, 20 So. 3d 419…
Authorities Cited
- Pope v. State, 561 So. 2d 554 (Fla. 1990)
- Donald B. Banks v. State, 732 So. 2d 1065 (Fla. 1999)
- Shull v. Dugger, 515 So. 2d 748 (Fla. 1987)
- Hines v. State, 817 So. 2d 964 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002)
- Doyle L. Newton v. State, 848 So. 2d 1199 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003)
- Casas v. Marcos, 827 So. 2d 1022 (Fla. 3d DCA 2002)