NICHOLAS ROBERT ANGELL, APPELLANT,
v.
THE STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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Nicholas Angell appealed his conviction for sale and possession of heroin, challenging the imposition of concurrent 5-year sentences and the denial of a continuance motion. The Florida appellate court affirmed the conviction but vacated the possession sentence, holding that when possession and sale arise from the same transaction, only one sentence for the highest offense may be imposed.
The court held that when possession and sale of heroin arise from the same transaction occurring at the same time and place, only one sentence may be imposed—for the highest offense. Therefore, the possession sentence was vacated. The denial of the continuance motion did not constitute an abuse of discretion because Angell had adequate notice, was represented by the Public Defender during jury selection, and retained private counsel too late to accomplish proper preparation.
[1] A sentence for possession of a controlled substance arising from the same transaction as a sale of the same substance is impermissible when only one sentence may be impos…
[2] The granting or denial of a motion for continuance rests within the sound discretion of the trial court and will not be disturbed on appeal absent a clear showing of palp…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“only one sentence may be imposed; and the sentence which should be imposed is for the highest offense charge.”
Establishes the legal rule from Yost that when possession and sale arise from the same transaction, only one sentence for the highest offense is permitted.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceOn April 20, 1970, an undercover narcotics agent purchased heroin from Angell at a television shop in Miami. Angell was charged with two counts: unlaw…
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The appellant seeks review of his convictions on 5-year sentences of a two-count information entered by the trial court pursuant to a jury verdict which found the appellant guilty of the sale of and possession of heroin in violation of § 398.03 Fla. Stat. F.S.A. The sentences were to run concurrently.
On April 20, 1970, in the late afternoon, an undercover narcotics agent entered a television shop in the northwest section of Miami, Florida, where he informed a Mr. Petesky he wanted to buy some heroin. Mr. Petesky called the appellant, who came to the store and allegedly handed the narcotics agent a package containing heroin. Thereafter, the appellant was arrested and charged by a two-count information with the unlawful sale of and the unlawful possession of heroin, in violation of § 398.03, Fla.Stat., F.S.A. The Public Defender was appointed to represent the appellant. Appellant pleaded not guilty and demanded a jury trial. Trial was set for April 3, 1972. Approximately one week before trial, the appellant employed private counsel to represent him. On March 30, 1972, said counsel requested a continuance on the ground he would be in New York on the day of the trial. The case was set for trial April 3, 1972, at which time the trial court denied the motion for continuance. Appellant’s private counsel was not present and the trial court appointed the Public Defender to represent the appellant. The cause then proceeded with selection of the jury. Upon picking a jury, the court recessed until the following day. At that time, appellant’s private counsel was present and he represented the appellant at trial. At the conclusion of the trial, the jury found appellant guilty of each count of information. The trial court thereupon entered the convictions and sentences which are the subject matter of this appeal.
The first point raised on appeal contends that these sentences are in violation of the applicable Florida law. We agree that the sentence for possession is not in compliance with the principles set forth in the case of Yost v. State, 243 So. 2d 469 (Fla.App. 3rd Dist.1972).
The undisputed facts of the case show a possession and sale which arose out of the same transaction. Both the possession and sale occurred at exactly the same time and place. In the Yost decision, this Court held that in such situations, “only one sentence may be imposed; and the sentence which should be imposed is for the highest offense charge.” Accordingly, the sentence for possession is vacated. The evidence amply supports the judgment of conviction upon the count relating to sale of heroin.
We find appellant’s second point to be without merit. He contends that the trial court’s failure to grant a motion for continuance was prejudicial error. The granting or denying of a motion for continuance is within the discretion of the trial court and the action of the court on such motion will not be disturbed on appeal unless there is a clear showing that there *39has been a palpable abuse of that discretion to the disadvantage of the accused. Douglas v. State, 216 So.2d 82 (Fla.App.3d 1968).
In this case the appellant was notified well in advance of the date of his trial. He had been represented for two months prior to his trial by the public defender. While it was his prerogative to retain private counsel, this should have been accomplished well in advance of the trial instead of the prior week. While private counsel was not present during the jury selection, he was present for the remainder of the trial. There has been no showing that the public defender was incapable of selecting the jury. The record indicates that the defendant’s constitutional rights were fully protected.
Affirmed in part and reversed in part.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
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Quackenbush v. Quackenbush, 47 Fla. Supp. 66 (Palm Beach Cty. Cir. Ct. 1978)…that it was clearly erroneous. Normally, a determination to grant or deny [*71] a motion for continuance is a matter within the sound discretion of the trial judge or the master. Mills v. State, 280 So. 2d 35 (Fla. 2nd DCA 1973) and Angell v. State, 271 So. 2d 37 (Fla. 3rd DCA 1972). Nevertheless, there are instances, such as the case at bar, where to deny a motion to continue occasions such injury and prejudice to the moving party that it constitutes an abuse of discretion which is clearly erroneous. Witho…
Authorities Cited
- Yost v. State, 243 So. 2d 469 (Fla. 3d DCA 1971)
- Taft Douglas, Jr. v. State, 216 So. 2d 82 (Fla. 3d DCA 1968)