BRYAN COHEN, APPELLANT,
v.
THE STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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The court held that while the trial court erred in relying on an uncharged violation for probation revocation, the revocation and sentence are affirmed because the charged violation alone supported the decision, but the revocation order must be corrected.
[1] A probation revocation based on uncharged conduct deprives the defendant of due process and constitutes fundamental error.
[2] When probation is revoked based on both charged and uncharged conduct, the revocation order must be reversed if it is unclear whether the court would have revoked probati…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceBryan Cohen, on probation for burglary and sexual battery, was arrested for making an obscene phone call. An affidavit alleged probation violation bas…
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Bryan Cohen appeals the trial’s court order revoking his probation and imposing a sentence of twenty-five years in prison. Cohen asserts the revocation was based in part upon conduct not alleged in the probation violation affidavit, and that a remand for resentencing is necessary.
In April 2007 Cohen pled guilty to burglary with a battery and sexual battery upon a helpless victim. Cohen was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment, followed by two years of community control and ten years’ probation.
Cohen was released from prison in June of 20Í3. In March of 2014, while under community control supervision, Cohen was arrested and charged with the misdemean- or crime of making an obscene or harassing phone call. A misdemeanor information was filed, alleging that Cohen
did unlawfully make a telephone call to Jimmy Edward Smith, ... and during such call made [a] comment, request,suggestion, or proposal which was ob*180scene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, vulgar, or indecent; and by such call or such language, intended to offend, annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any person at the called number, in violation of Florida Statutes 365.16(l)(a).
Based upon this new misdemeanor arrest, an affidavit was filed alleging that Cohen violated his community control and probation by committing a new crime. The affidavit specifically referenced the misdemeanor case number and incorporated the allegations of the misdemeanor information (as set forth above) specifically charging a violation of section 365.16(l)(a).1
In May 2014, the trial court conducted a probation violation hearing. As Cohen concedes in this appeal, the evidence at the hearing supported a determination that Cohen had violated his probation by making an obscene phone call in violation of section 365.16(l)(a)2, rendering unnecessary a recitation of the details of that phone call. During the hearing, however, the State also introduced evidence that, immediately following the charged obscene phone call, Cohen made a series of ten more calls to the same phone number (none of which were answered by the person Cohen called).3
At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court made its oral findings that:
— Cohen had violated his probation by making an obscene and harassing phone call in violation of section 356.16(l)(a);
■— Cohen had also violated section 356.16(l)(c)4 by immediately thereafter making a series of repeated (but answered) phone calls.
— The State did not offer proof, and therefore did not establish, that Cohen violated Condition 10 (failing to submit to electronic monitoring) or Condition 16 (failing to participate in sex offender treatment).5
The trial court then heard from the State, Cohen, and Cohen’s counsel regarding the appropriate sentence to be imposed. No argument was made addressing the series of repeated but unanswered phone calls, and only passing reference was made addressing the single obscene phone call. Instead, the issues pertinent to sentencing centered on the seriousness of the crimes for which Cohen was origi*181nally sentenced (sexual battery upon a helpless victim and burglary with a battery); his mercurial history of community control supervision; his mental health and treatment history; and the significant number and serious nature of Cohen’s pri- or felony convictions.6 The court sentenced Cohen to 25 years’ imprisonment.
The written order of revocation order lists three violations as grounds for revocation: fading to submit to electronic monitoring; failing to participate in sex offender treatment7; and committing the offense of Obscene Harassing Phone Calls.
Cohen correctly contends that, in revoking Cohen’s probation, the trial court erroneously relied upon an uncharged violation of section 365.16(l)(c), Florida Statutes, by having made the series of ten repeated phone calls following the single obscene phone call. Revocation of probation based on an uncharged violation deprives the defendant of due process and constitutes fundamental error. Bonner v. State, 138 So.3d 1101 (Fla. 1st DCA 2014); McRae v. State, 88 So.3d 384 (Fla. 2d DCA 2012); Ray v. State, 855 So.2d 1260 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003). When probation has been revoked based on charged and uncharged conduct, the revocation order must be reversed where it is unclear whether the lower court would have revoked probation and imposed the same sentence absent the uncharged conduct. Mack v. State, 440 So.2d 602 (Fla. 3d DCA 1983). In the instant case, however, it is clear from the record that the trial court would have revoked Cohen’s probation and imposed the same sentence based solely on the charged violation of making an obscene phone call under section 365.16(l)(a). McKenzie v. State, — So.3d -, 2013 WL 5994188, 38 Fla. L. Weekly D2379 (Fla. 3d DCA Nov. 13, 2013); Ware v. State, 54 So.3d 1074 (Fla. 1st DCA 2011); Mata v. State, 31 So.3d 257 (Fla. 4th DCA 2010).
We therefore affirm the trial court’s finding of a violation of probation by committing the crime of making obscene phone calls, and we affirm the sentence imposed. We remand this cause to the trial court for the purpose of correcting the revocation order to conform to the court’s oral pronouncement. The corrected revocation order shall delete the findings of a violation of Condition 10 (failing to submit to electronic monitoring) and Condition 16 (failing to participate in sex offender treatment). The defendant need not be present for this purpose. We affirm the order of revocation in all other respects.
Affirmed and, remanded with directions.
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Fuentes v. State, 219 So. 3d 956 (Fla. 3d DCA 2017)…es clearly that the 'trial court would have revoked appellant’s probation and imposed the same sentence based solely upon the determination that appellant- committed the felony of uttering, a forged instrument while on probation. See Cohen v. State, 171 So. 3d 179 (Fla. 3d DCA 2015); McKenzie v. State, 201 So. 3d 29 (Fla. 3d DCA 2013).…
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Clauson v. State, 273 So. 3d 1124 (Fla. 3d DCA 2019)
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Valdes v. State (Fla. 3d DCA 2024)…ourt’s oral pronouncement. See Jackson v. State, 369 So. 3d 746, 748 (Fla. 3d DCA 2023) (“Revocation of probation based on an uncharged violation deprives the defendant of due process and constitutes fundamental error.” (quoting Cohen v. State, 171 So. 3d 179, 181 (Fla. 3d DCA 2015))); Laffitte v. State, 16 So. 3d 315, 316 (Fla. 3d DCA 2009) (“A written order of probation revocation must conform to the court’s oral pronouncement at a defendant’s probation revocation hearing.” (quoting Salvatierra v. S…
Previewing 3 of 4 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- RAY v. State, 855 So. 2d 1260 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003)
- McRAE v. State, 88 So. 3d 384 (Fla. 2d DCA 2012)
- Mata v. State, 31 So. 3d 257 (Fla. 4th DCA 2010)
- Octavius D. Ware v. State, 54 So. 3d 1074 (Fla. 1st DCA 2011)
- Toland Jerome Bonner v. State, 138 So. 3d 1101 (Fla. 1st DCA 2014)
- Mack v. State, 440 So. 2d 602 (Fla. 3d DCA 1983)