CHRISTOPHER B. NEGRON, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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.
The appellate court reversed the summary denial of a motion to correct an illegal sentence, holding that the trial court erred in using the date of boot camp completion instead of the date of the original offense to determine the applicable sentencing law for a probation violation.
The trial court erred in using the date of boot camp completion, rather than the date of the original offense, to determine the applicable law for sentencing a probation violator under section 958.045, Florida Statutes.
[1] A trial court errs in determining the applicable law for sentencing on a violation of probation by using the date a defendant completed a boot camp program instead of the…
[2] Applying an amended statute that increases the potential sentence for a violation of probation to offenses committed before the amendment's effective date violates the co…
Previewing 2 of 4 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceNegron, sentenced as a youthful offender for drug offenses, successfully completed a boot camp program and was released on probation. After violating …
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.
Explore caselaw by topic → Browse Youthful Offender Sentencing cases and more on FLexlaw
Negron appeals the summary denial of his “Emergency Writ of Habeas Corpus,” which the trial court appropriately treated as a rule 3.800(a) motion to correct illegal sentence. We reverse because the trial judge incorrectly believed that the date a defendant completed boot camp, not the date that he committed his original offense, was the date to use in determining the applicable law when sentencing on a violation of probation under section 958.045, Florida Statutes.
In April 2008, Negron pled guilty to two felony drug offenses. He was sentenced as a youthful offender to concurrent terms of three years incarceration to be followed by one year of probation. After sentencing, the trial court authorized Negron’s participation in the basic training “boot camp” program.
Negron alleged that he successfully completed a boot camp program and was released on probation on March 20, 2009. Thereafter, Negron was found guilty of violating his probation. The trial court imposed concurrent inearcerative sentences of 58.09 months. Negron argues that, pursuant to section 958.045(5)(c), Florida Statutes (2005), the trial court could only sentence him to a maximum of 364 days in jail. If Negron successfully completed the boot camp program, his argument has merit.
Prior to July 1, 2006, section 958.045(5)(c) provided that where a defendant sentenced as a youthful offender subsequently completed the boot camp program, he could only be sentenced thereafter on a violation of probation charge to a sentence that might have originally been imposed as a condition of probation:
(c) The portion of the sentence served prior to placement in the basic training program may not be counted toward program completion. Upon the offender’s completion of the basic training program, the department shall submit a report to the court that describes the offender’s performance. If the offender’s performance has been satisfactory, the court shall issue an order modifying the sentence imposed and placing the offender on probation. The term of probation may include placement in a community residential program. If the offender violates the conditions of probation, the court may revoke probation and impose any sentence that it might have originally imposed as a condition of probation.
(Emphasis added); see Adderly v. State, 958 So.2d 997, 998 (Fla. 5th DCA 2007) (“Prior to this statutory change, a defendant who violated probation after completing boot camp could only be sentenced to 364 days in jail.”).
Effective July 1, 2006, section 958.045(5)(c) was amended to permit a trial court, upon finding that a youthful offender who had successfully completed the boot camp program had thereafter violated probation, to impose any sentence that it might have originally imposed:
(c) The portion of the sentence served prior to placement in the basic training program may not be counted toward program completion. Upon the offender’s completion of the basic training pro*950gram, the department shall submit a report to the court that describes the offender’s performance. If the offender’s performance has been satisfactory, the court shall issue an order modifying the sentence imposed and placing the offender on probation. The term of probation may include placement in a community residential program. If the offender violates the conditions of probation, the court may revoke probation and impose any sentence that it might have originally imposed.
(Emphasis added).
It is undisputed that Negron’s original offenses occurred prior to July 1, 2006. The application of the aforesaid statutory amendment to offenses committed prior to the amendment’s effective date would violate the constitutional prohibition against ex post facto laws.1 See Miller v. State, 77 So.3d 888 (Fla. 2d DCA 2012); Morrison v. State, 978 So.2d 284 (Fla. 4th DCA 2008); Adderly.
Therefore, if Negron successfully completed the boot camp program, the maximum sentence he could receive upon his violation of probation was 364 days in jail.2 Because the trial court did not make a finding as to whether Negron had successfully completed the boot camp program, we remand for resolution of this issue.
REVERSED AND REMANDED.
SAWAYA and TORPY, JJ., concur.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
-
Tobler v. State, 115 So. 3d 1090 (Fla. 5th DCA 2013)…), Florida Statutes, as a youthful offender who successfully completed boot camp, the harshest sentence he could receive on a violation of probation in each of his cases1 was 364 days. See [*1091] § 958.04(2)(b), Fla. Stat. (2005);2 Negron v. State, 90 So. 3d 948 (Fla. 5th DCA 2012); Lamore v. State, 86 So. 3d 546 (Fla. 2d DCA 2012); Mason v. State, 864 So. 2d 1225, 1227 (Fla. 1st DCA 2004); Thomas v. State 825 So. 2d 1032, 1033-34 (Fla. 1st DCA 2002); Bloodworth v. State, 769 So. 2d 1117, 1118 (Fla. 2d DCA…
-
D'Andre Smith v. State, 125 So. 3d 190 (Fla. 4th DCA 2013)…ion, the court may revoke probation and impose any sentence that it might have originally imposed.”); see also Love v. State, 24 So. 3d 704, 705 n. 1 (Fla. 4th DCA 2009), subsequent appeal, 60 So. 3d 1071 (Fla. 4th DCA 2011); accord Negron v. State, 90 So. 3d 948, 950 (Fla. 5th DCA 2012). MAY, C.J., TAYLOR and LEVINE, JJ., concur.…
Authorities Cited
- Teddrick Morrison v. State, 978 So. 2d 284 (Fla. 4th DCA 2008)
- Humphrey v. State, 958 So. 2d 997 (Fla. 5th DCA 2007)
- Adderly v. State, 958 So. 2d 997 (Fla. 5th DCA 2007)
- Reginald v. Davis, Jr., 16 So. 3d 995 (Fla. 5th DCA 2009)
- Deonno Miller v. State, 77 So. 3d 888 (Fla. 2d DCA 2012)