JEFFREY SUGGS, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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Jeffrey Suggs appealed the trial court's denial of his motion to dismiss based on alleged violation of his Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial. The court held that a delay in prosecution complying with the Speedy Trial Rule may nevertheless violate a defendant's constitutional right to a speedy trial, and remanded for the trial court to conduct a hearing applying the Barker v. Wingo standards.
A delay in the prosecution of an offense which does not violate the Speedy Trial Rule may nevertheless violate a defendant's constitutional right to a speedy trial. The trial court must address the constitutional issue of speedy trial separately from compliance with the procedural rule.
[1] A delay in prosecution that does not violate the Speedy Trial Rule may nevertheless violate a defendant's constitutional right to a speedy trial.
[2] The right to a speedy trial derives from constitutional provisions, not solely from procedural rules.
Previewing 2 of 5 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“[The] right to a speedy trial derives from the Florida and United States Constitutions, not from the Rule, and the Rule's 180-day prescription neither excuses a shorter but unconstitutional delay nor establishes an absolute deadline for trial in all events.”
Establishes that the constitutional right to speedy trial is independent of and separate from the Speedy Trial Rule's procedural requirements
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceA burglary occurred at the DeVito home in St. Petersburg on August 11, 1976. Police identified Suggs as the suspect in December 1976, and the state at…
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GRIMES, Judge.
Alleging a violation of his Sixth Amendment rights to a speedy trial, appellant filed a motion to dismiss which the trial court denied. Appellant then pled nolo conten-dere but reserved his right to appeal the denial of his motion to dismiss.
Appellant’s motion was unsworn and no testimony was taken. Yet, the state stipulated to the facts stated in the argument of counsel. According to these statements, a burglary occurred at the home of Anthony and Carol DeVito in St. Petersburg on August 11, 1976. Sometime in December of 1976 the police concluded that appellant was the guilty party.
On January 6, 1977, the state attorney’s office filed an information charging appellant with the burglary. At that time one of the investigating detectives knew that appellant was incarcerated in a Florida prison on an unrelated charge. No detainer was lodged against appellant, and he was not notified of the burglary charge pending against him during his prison term. When appellant was released from prison in August of 1977, he was arrested on the burglary charge. He filed his motion to dismiss on October 14, 1977.
Appellant alleged that because of the delay in his arrest he was prejudiced to the extent that he could not remember his whereabouts at the time the burglary occurred. Moreover, he stated that he was unable to locate any witnesses who could testify as to what he was doing at that time.1 After hearing arguments on the motion, the judge stated that he would be inclined to grant appellant’s motion except for the fact that the state’s delay in arresting appellant had not violated the Speedy Trial Rule.2 The issue before us is whether a person can be denied his constitutional right to a speedy trial when the state seeks a trial within the time limits prescribed by the Speedy Trial Rule.
In State ex rel. Gentry v. Fitzpatrick, 327 So. 2d 46 (Fla. 1st DCA 1976), our sister court said:
[The] right to a speedy trial derives from the Florida and United States Constitutions, not from the Rule, and the Rule’s 180-day prescription neither excuses a shorter but unconstitutional delay nor establishes an absolute deadline for trial in all events. .
327 So. 2d at 47. We think that this is a correct statement of the law. Thus, we hold that a delay in the prosecution of an offense which does not violate the Speedy Trial Rule may nevertheless violate a defendant’s constitutional right to a speedy trial.
In view of this principle, it is clear that the trial court should have addressed the constitutional issue of whether the state denied appellant a speedy trial. We shall not do so now because the record is inadequate for that purpose and because we believe the trial court should first have a chance to directly pass on the issue. At this point no effort has yet been made to determine the reasons for the prosecutorial delay. Cf. United States v. Lovasco, 431 U.S. 783, 97 S.Ct. 2044, 52 L.Ed.2d 752 (1977).
We, therefore, temporarily relinquish jurisdiction of this cause to the trial court for forty-five days from the date this opinion becomes final. Within the first thirty days of this period, the trial court shall hold a hearing to determine whether the appellant was deprived of his constitutional right of speedy trial. In so doing the court should consider the evidence presented in light of the standards set forth in Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514, 92 S.Ct. 2182, 33 L.Ed.2d 101 (1972), and enter an order stating its findings and ruling on the appellant’s motion for discharge. Within the remaining period of time appellant shall furnish this court a transcript of the hearing and a certified copy of the court’s order. Thereafter, we will make an appropriate disposition of this appeal.
BOARDMAN, C. J., and RYDER, J., concur. . See State v. Griffin, 347 So. 2d 692 (Fla. 1st DCA 1977), in which the court affirmed the dismissal of an information on grounds of prosecutorial delay where the defendant made similar contentions.
. Because the appellant was in prison, the state had a year to bring him to trial under the rule. Fla.R.Crim.P. 3.191(b)(1).
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
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State v. L. H., 392 So. 2d 294 (Fla. 2d DCA 1980)…ime for charging an adult by indictment or information except in those circumstances in which the defendant can prove he was prejudiced by the late filing. United States v. Lovasco, 431 U.S. 783, 97 S.Ct. 2044, 52 L.Ed.2d 752 (1977); Suggs v. State, 358 So. 2d 55 (Fla. 2d DCA 1978). Had the legislature not enacted a law specifically limiting the time for filing the petition for delinquency, there could be no such limitation on the time. Therefore, unlike the situation in Golden, the thirty day provision in R…
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Hopkins v. Barad, 380 So. 2d 1166 (Fla. 3d DCA 1980)…only on the rules of criminal procedure and presents no claim either that they are invalid as applied to his situation or that he is entitled to discharge because of a violation of his constitutional right to a speedy trial. Compare Suggs v. State, 358 So. 2d 55 (Fla. 2d DCA 1978).…
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COX v. State, 389 So. 2d 1028 (Fla. 5th DCA 1980)…trial. See Thompson v. State, 353 So. 2d 664 (Fla. 2d DCA 1978). And a delay in the prosecution of an offense which does not violate the speedy trial rule may nevertheless violate a defendant’s constitutional right to a speedy trial. Suggs v. State, 358 So. 2d 55 (Fla. 2d DCA 1978). In Suggs, the defendant was incarcerated at the time an information for burglary was filed against him. An investigating detective knew of his whereabouts but no detainer was lodged against him nor was he informed of the charge.…
Previewing 3 of 5 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514 (U.S. 1972)
- United States v. Lovasco, 431 U.S. 783 (U.S. 1977)
- State v. Griffin, 347 So. 2d 692 (Fla. 1st DCA 1977)
- The State of Fla. on the relation of Richard Cade Gentry v. The Honorable Warren L. Fitzpatrick, 327 So. 2d 46 (Fla. 1st DCA 1976)