Barrios v. State, 4D01-686.

Decision Date27 February 2002
Docket NumberNo. 4D01-686.,4D01-686.
Citation807 So.2d 814
PartiesEdilbierto BARRIOS, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
CourtFlorida District Court of Appeals

Carey Haughwout, Public Defender, and James W. McIntire, Assistant Public Defender, West Palm Beach, for appellant.

Robert A. Butterworth, Attorney General, Tallahassee, and Maria J. Patullo, Assistant Attorney General, West Palm Beach, for appellee.

FARMER, J.

Barrios was arrested for resisting a police officer without violence. Later at the jail after a custodial search, he was charged with possession of cocaine, possession of contraband, and introduction of contraband into a detention facility. He moved to suppress the evidence found in the search on the grounds that his arrest was improper. The trial court denied the motion; he was convicted; and now he timely appeals.

Barrios was the passenger in a lawfully stopped automobile whose driver was arrested. The arresting officer at first ordered Barrios to remain within the vehicle but then ordered him out of it when he decided to perform a search of it. He directed Barrios to stand at the rear passenger side of the vehicle near the other officer. Barrios had trouble maintaining his balance and appeared intoxicated. He then attempted to walk away from the scene but was summoned back by one of the officers. The officer directed him to stand along the side of the vehicle and place his hands on its roof.

Initially complying, Barrios apparently had difficulty standing in that position and removed his hands. The officer again directed him to stand with his hands placed on the roof of the vehicle. Once again he appeared to comply, but once again his hands came off. At the hearing on the motion to suppress, the officer testified that until the moment he arrested him Barrios was free to leave, adding that he detained Barrios for the safety of Barrios in light of his apparently intoxicated condition. Eventually the officer described the following: "he pushed off and faced me with his hands clenched at his side." The officer interpreted this stance "as an offensive move." At that point, in spite of the fact that Barrios was free to leave, the officer arrested Barrios for resisting arrest and proceeded to perform the search in which contraband was discovered.

In Wilson v. State, 734 So.2d 1107, 1110 (Fla. 4th DCA 1999), which involves indistinguishable facts, we began with the proposition that an officer must have a founded suspicion of criminal activity in order to justify a temporary detention. We also noted in Wilson that an officer may order passengers of a lawfully stopped vehicle to exit while they...

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6 cases
  • Aguiar v. State
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • April 1, 2016
    ...2d DCA 2003) (reversing conviction of detained “innocent passenger” based upon rule announced in Wilson v. State ); Barrios v. State, 807 So.2d 814 (Fla. 4th DCA 2002) (applying Wilson v. State and reversing “innocent passenger's” convictions on theory that officer had no lawful authority t......
  • J.R.P. v. State, 2D05-5191.
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • November 29, 2006
    ...way is a greater intrusion upon personal liberty than an order simply directing a passenger out of the vehicle.")); Barrios v. State, 807 So.2d 814, 815 (Fla. 4th DCA 2002) (holding innocent passenger's arrest for resisting police officer without violence improper because passenger could re......
  • Faulkner v. State, 2D00-5437.
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • January 17, 2003
    ...he is forbidden go anywhere other than that one place. In other words, he is fully detained in both law and fact. See Barrios v. State, 807 So.2d 814 (Fla. 4th DCA 2002) (holding that innocent passenger's arrest for resisting a police officer without violence was improper because passenger ......
  • AF v. State, 4D02-1768.
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • July 30, 2003
    ...the individuals and there is no suggestion that the passenger was in any way restrained or prevented from leaving. Cf. Barrios v. State, 807 So.2d 814 (Fla. 4th DCA 2002)(holding that although a passenger may be ordered out of a lawfully stopped vehicle, a passenger cannot be detained or pr......
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