Kelly v. State ex rel. Rosowsky

Decision Date04 December 1951
Citation55 So.2d 561
PartiesKELLY, Sheriff, v. STATE ex rel. ROSOWSKY.
CourtFlorida Supreme Court

Richard W. Ervin, Atty. Gen. and William A. O'Bryan, Asst. Atty. Gen., for appellant.

Jack Kehoe, Miami, for appellee.

TERRELL, Justice.

Appellant was informed against in the Criminal Court of Record for Dade County. The pertinent part of the information charges appellant with the possession of coin operated devices which are:

'out of order and can not be operated by the insertion of any piece of money or coin or other object until said machines have been repaired and placed in good working order; that if said machines were repaired and in good working order, they could be used in such a way that as a result of the insertion of any piece of money, coin or other object, said machines would then be adapted for use in such a way that as a result of the insertion of any piece of money or coin or other object, such machines or devices could be caused to operate or may be operated so that by reason of an element of chance or of any outcome of such operation, unpredictable by the user, the user could receive or become entitled to receive a piece of money, credit, allowance or other thing of value; or the user may or could automatically secure additional chances or rights to use such machines, which additional (sic) chances or rights to use such machines are known as free plays.'

Predicated on this information a capias was issued and appellee was taken into custody. He petitioned for and was granted a writ of habeas corpus. There was a return denying the allegations of the petition and a motion to discharge the petitioner was granted. This appeal was prosecuted from the latter order.

The point for determination is whether or not the information, the pertinent part of which is quoted above, charges any offense against the laws of the State of Florida, Sections 849.15 and 849.16, F.S.A.

The trial court answered this question in the negative on the theory that the information did not describe the type of machine or coin operated devices con demned by the statute. Appellants admit that the machine must come within the terms of Sections 849.15 and 849.16, F.S.A. In Weathers v. Williams, 133 Fa. 367, 182 So. 764, we held that it was not essential that such machines be used for gaming or gambling to bring them within the condemnation of the act. We held however, that if it was adaptable for use in such a way that the result of the...

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6 cases
  • Watts v. State
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • November 10, 1983
    ... ... See, e.g., Earnest v. State, 351 So.2d 957 (Fla.1977); State ex rel. Lee v. Buchanan, 191 So.2d 33 (Fla.1966); Whitehurst v. State, 105 Fla. 574, 141 So. 878 (1932); ... ...
  • State v. Dinsmore, s. 44802
    • United States
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • January 29, 1975
    ...can the Legislature predicate a crime on future acts or contingencies or on the taking place of some future act. Kelly v. State, ex rel. Rosowsky, 55 So.2d 561 (Fla.1951). 'In the very well reasoned opinion of Brock v. Hardie (114 Fla. 670), 154 So. 690 (Fla.1934), our Supreme Court, in the......
  • State v. Llopis, 41495
    • United States
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • December 17, 1971
    ...can the Legislature predicate a crime on future acts or contingencies or on the taking place of some future act. Kelly v. State, ex rel. Rosowsky, 55 So.2d 561 (Fla.1951). 'In the very well reasoned opinion of Brock v. Hardie (114 Fla. 670), 154 So. 690 (Fla.1934), our Supreme Court, in the......
  • State v. Smith
    • United States
    • Oregon Supreme Court
    • April 30, 1969
  • Request a trial to view additional results

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