BUNYAN L. KENDRICK, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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Kendrick pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and resisting arrest without violence. On appeal, the court reversed the aggravated assault conviction because the trial court failed to establish a factual basis for the plea, particularly where the defendant denied possessing the knife that was the basis for the charge. The court affirmed the resisting arrest conviction as no prejudice was alleged.
The judgment and sentence for aggravated assault is reversed and remanded because the court failed to establish a factual basis for the plea and accepted a guilty plea despite the defendant's denial that he possessed a knife, which was essential to prove aggravated assault. The judgment and sentence for resisting arrest without violence is affirmed because no prejudice was alleged from the absence of a factual basis determination.
[1] A court must determine a factual basis for a guilty plea before accepting it.
[2] A factual basis for a guilty plea must be based on facts admitted by the defendant.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“The judge must determine "that the conduct which the defendant admits constitutes the offense charged in the indictment or information or an offense included therein to which the defendant has pleaded guilty."”
Establishes the mandatory requirement to determine factual basis for guilty pleas under Rule 3.170(j)
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceKendrick was charged with aggravated assault with a knife and resisting arrest with violence. He initially pled not guilty but withdrew those pleas an…
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HOBSON, Judge.
Appellant was charged by two in-formations with aggravated assault with a knife and resisting arrest with violence. He pled not guilty; however, on the date set for trial he withdrew the not guilty pleas and pled guilty to the aggravated assault and the lesser included offense of resisting an officer without violence. Prior to accepting the pleas the court determined that they were made freely and voluntarily. However, at this time the court did not inquire into and determine a factual basis for the pleas.
Thereafter a presentence investigation was conducted and the court also had the depositions of witnesses before it. At sentencing the appellant denied having a knife which was the basis of the aggravated assault. Notwithstanding this, the court, after reading the witnesses’ depositions in which they testified that they had seen the appellant with a knife, sentenced appellant to three years on the aggravated assault offense.
Rule 3.170(j), FRCrP, requires the court to determine that there is a factual basis for the plea. The United States Supreme Court in interpreting Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure in McCarthy v. United States, 394 U.S. 459, 89 S.Ct. 1166, 22 L.Ed.2d 418, which is similar to our rule, stated at page 467, 89 S.Ct. at page 1171, 22 L.Ed.2d at page 426:
The judge must determine “that the conduct which the defendant admits constitutes the offense charged in the indictment or information or an offense included therein to which the defendant has pleaded guilty.” Requiring this examination of the relation between the law and the acts the defendant admits having committed is designed to “protect a defendant who is in the position of pleading voluntarily with an understanding of the nature of the charge but without realizing that his conduct does not actually fall within the charge.” The appellant, by denying he was in the possession of a knife, in effect had pled guilty to an offense which was not established by his admissions of facts necessary to prove the offense charged.
In our view, the factual basis for the plea of guilty referred to in Criminal Procedure Rule 3.170 (j) must be facts to which the defendant admits and that a guilty plea should not be accepted even if there is a conflict with other witnesses or evidence which does support the factual basis for the plea.
In North Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S. 25, 91 S.Ct. 160, 27 L.Ed.2d 162, the defendant, even though claiming to be innocent of the homicide, pled guilty to second degree murder in order to limit the possible penalty of the original charge of first degree murder. The United States Supreme Court in Alford sustained the plea, notwithstanding the fact that Alford claimed to be innocent, on the ground that he was represented by competent counsel whose advice was the plea would be to his advantage as limiting the possible penalty and that he intelligently concluded that his best interests would be served by pleading guilty to the lesser offense. In the case at bar, the appellant was originally charged with aggravated assault and therefore could receive no advantages as were present in Alford, supra.
Appellant also contends that there was no factual basis determined for his guilty plea to resisting arrest without violence. He has not alleged any prejudice stemming from the absence of a determination of a factual basis for this plea and, therefore, under Hall v. State, Fla.App.2d 1974, 303 So. 2d 417, the judgment and sentence on this charge is affirmed.1
The other point raised on appeal by appellant has been considered and found to be without merit.
For the foregoing reasons the judgment and sentence for aggravated assault is reversed and remanded with the opportunity for appellant to change his plea to not guilty. The judgment and sentence entered on the offense of resisting arrest without violence is affirmed.
Affirmed in part and reversed in part and remanded.
McNULTY, C. J., concurs.
BOARDMAN, J., concurs in conclusion only.
. The Hall case has been certified to the Florida Supreme Court and is still pending.
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State v. Bunyan L. Kendrick, Jr., 336 So. 2d 353 (Fla. 1976)…ADKINS, Justice. Certiorari was granted to review a decision of the District Court of Appeal, Second District (Kendrick v. State, 308 So. 2d 152), on ground of direct conflict with a decision of this Court. Charged with aggravated assault and with resisting arrest with violence, respondent pleaded not guilty. Then, on the date set for trial, he withdrew the not guilty pleas and pleaded guil…1 / 2
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Hall v. State, 309 So. 2d 226 (Fla. 2d DCA 1975)…able from where the accused denies certain facts and it then becomes apparent that the accused may be pleading guilty to an offense not established by his admission of facts necessary to prove the offense charged. Kendrick v. State, Fla.App.2d 1975, 308 So. 2d 152. Here the trial court made a conscientious effort to comply with the requirements of RCrP 3.170(j). In addition to determining voluntariness he reviewed the charges against the appellant, conducted an extensive colloquy with coun [*228] sel for the…
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Miles v. State, 338 So. 2d 547 (Fla. 3d DCA 1976)…fferent from one where on entry of such a plea a defendant denies use of a weapon, when evidence was presented that a deadly weapon was involved. Compare Williams v. State, Fla.1975, 316 So. 2d 267. On authority of Kendrick v. State, Fla. App.1975, 308 So. 2d 152, and Monroe v. State, supra, the cause is remanded to the circuit court for further proceedings, to conduct a noticed hearing for the purpose of determining whether the weapon used in the assault was a deadly weapon within the meaning of the law.' I…
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
- McCARTHY v. United States, 394 U.S. 459 (U.S. 1969)
- North Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S. 25 (U.S. 1970)
- Jensen v. Kaplan, 303 So. 2d 417 (Fla. 3d DCA 1974)