JOHN D. CHAMPLIN, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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John Champlin was convicted of child molestation under Florida law. On appeal, he challenged the trial court's evidentiary rulings regarding inadmissible writings and the failure to have the information sworn to by the prosecuting officer. The court affirmed the conviction, finding the evidentiary error harmless and the defect in the information waived.
The court held that allowing witnesses to allude to excluded writings on collateral matters is not error because such contents may be proven by parol evidence independently. Second, the court held that the absence of verification on the information is only a formal defect that does not render the information void, and the defect was waived by appellant's failure to raise it before arraignment or in pre-trial motions.
“Since the writings pertained only to preliminary, secondary and collateral matters, the contents thereof could be proven independently by parol evidence, and it was immaterial that the writings themselves were not admitted and were not admissible in evidence.”
Establishes that the trial court's evidentiary ruling regarding excluded writings was not error because the content could be proven through witness testimony.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceOver a two-year period, multiple male witnesses aged 14-17 visited Champlin's photo studio where they viewed nude pictures and sexually explicit mater…
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In the Criminal Court of Record of Palm Beach County, Florida, appellant was charged by information with an offense under the child molester law, tried, convicted, adjudged guilty and sentenced.
The information was signed by the County Solicitor, and the affidavit attached to the information was signed hut not acknowledged by the Solicitor.
During the trial, the complaining witness and other witnesses, all males between 14 and 17 years of age, testified that at various times for a period of two years immediately prior to the filing of the information, they had separately visited appellant’s photo studio in Palm Beach, on which occasions they viewed pictures of nude men and women committing crime against nature acts, and were shown by appellant and allowed to read sexy books and short stories which were calculated to, and did, arouse the passions of the young men, after which appellant would commit with them the reprehensible crime against nature. Some of said pictures and books were unlawfully *413seized at the time of the arrest of appellant; the court allowed them to be marked for identification, refused to admit them in evidence, but permitted the State’s witnesses to allude to certain of them while testifying. The testimony of the complaining witness was clear and apparently convincing that within two years before the filing of the information the appellant had committed with him a crime against nature as charged. Appellant did not take the stand but offered the testimony of several alibi witnesses to show he was at other places in Palm Beach at the time when the complaining witness stated the offense was committed. The jury chose to believe the State’s witnesses.
In his assignments of error, appellant sets forth two grounds of error which are, in essence, as follows:
1. When the Court properly refuses to admit into evidence writings as to preliminary, secondary or collateral matters, is it error for the Court to allow witnesses while testifying, to allude to the contents of said writtings?
Since the writings pertained only to preliminary, secondary and collateral matters, the contents thereof could- be proven independently by parol evidence, and it was immaterial that the writings themselves were not admitted and were not admissible in evidence. 1 Underhill’s Criminal Evidence, Sth Ed., page 187, and 32 C.J.S., Evidence § 783, page 708.
2. Does the failure of the prosecuting officer of a Criminal Court of Record to swear to an information, render the information void?
Section 10 of the Declaration of Rights, F.S.A., Article 5, Section 28 of the Constitution of Florida, F.S.A., and Section 906.04 of the 1959 Florida Statutes Annotated, require an information to be under oath.
However, the verification is not a substantial part of the information, and is merely to insure good faith in instituting the proceedings. Absence or omission of the required verification is only a formal defect and does not render the information void, and the defect may be waived. 42 C.J.S. Indictments and Informations § 86, page 948.
Appellant having failed to raise this point in the trial court before arraignment and entering his plea of not guilty, plus failing to raise the point in his motion to quash, motion in arrest of judgment, or even in his motion for new trial, and having raised it for the first time in his assignments of error, he is deemed to have waived the defect. Sections 909.01 and 909.06, F.S.A.; Bryan v. State, 41 Fla. 643, 26 So. 1022; Sawyer v. State, 94 Fla. 60, 113 So. 736; State ex rel. Gibbs v. Circuit Court of Eleventh Judicial Circuit, 140 Fla. 378, 191 So. 699; see also Kaminski v. State, Fla. 1954, 72 So.2d 400.
The judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
ALLEN, C. J., and SHANNON, J., concur.
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Catanese v. State, 251 So. 2d 572 (Fla. 4th DCA 1971)…raise the defect by motion to dismiss constitutes a waiver of such insufficiency. Tracey v. State, Fla.1961, 130 So. 2d 605; Sinclair v. State, Fla.1950, 46 So. 2d 453; West v. State, 1942, 149 Fla. 436, 6 So. 2d 7; Champlin v. State, Fla.App.1960, 122 So. 2d 412. Furthermore, a voluntary plea of guilty is in and of itself a waiver of all non jurisdictional defects. Childs v. State, Fla.App.1966, 190 So. 2d 605; State ex rel, Baggs v. Frederick, 1936, 124 Fla. 290, 168 So. 252. On the other hand, if the info…
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In re Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure, 196 So. 2d 124 (Fla. 1967)…tions filed by the prosecuting attorney in a criminal court of record. This proposal also does not deviate from present Florida statutory law as found in sec. 906.04 FS. This statute has received judicial approval. '(See Champlin v. State, Fla.App., 122 So. 2d 412 (1960).) It should be noted here that .the prosecutor’s statement under oath is definitized as to the purpose served by the signature. (h) Conclusion.- — -A similar provision currently appears in sec. 906.03 FS and should be included in the Rules b…
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In re Amendments to the Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure, 606 So. 2d 227 (Fla. 1992)…the prosecuting attorney in a criminal court of record. This proposal also does not deviate from present [*254] Florida statutory law as found in section 906.04, Florida Statutes. This statute has received judicial approval. (See Champlin v. State, 122 So. 2d 412 (Fla. 2d DCA I960).) It should be noted here that the prosecutor’s statement under oath is defined as to the purpose served by the signature. (h) Conclusion. A similar provision currently appears in section 906.03, Florida Statutes, and should be i…
Previewing 3 of 19 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Sawyer v. State, 94 Fla. 60 (Fla. 1927)
- Gadsden D. Bryan v. State, 41 Fla. 643 (Fla. 1899)
- Kaminski v. State, 72 So. 2d 400 (Fla. 1954)
- State ex rel. George Couper Gibbs v. The Cir. Court, 140 Fla. 378 (Fla. 1939)