Roark v. State, 92-380

Decision Date22 June 1993
Docket NumberNo. 92-380,92-380
Citation620 So.2d 237
Parties18 Fla. L. Week. D1489 Roger Joe ROARK, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
CourtFlorida District Court of Appeals

Nancy A. Daniels, Public Defender, Nada M. Carey, Asst. Public Defender, Tallahassee, for appellant.

Robert A. Butterworth, Atty. Gen., Gypsy Bailey, Asst. Atty. Gen., Tallahassee, for appellee.

WOLF, Judge.

Roark was convicted of sexual battery upon C.B., battery upon C.B., and lewd and lascivious assault upon her sister, E.B. Appellant raises a number of issues on appeal, one of which is dispositive and will be discussed herein: Whether the trial court reversibly erred in failing to sever the lewd and lascivious count from the sexual battery counts. We find that the incidents in question were not connected in an episodic sense and, thus, the trial court erred in failing to grant the motion to sever. We also determine that this error was not harmless under the facts of this case; therefore, we reverse the convictions and remand for new trials.

The victims in the instant case are C.B., nine years old, and E.B., 11 years old. The appellant is an uncle to the victims. 1 The appellant was charged with count I) capital sexual battery "by placing his finger in the vagina of C.B."; count II) capital sexual battery "by placing his finger in the anus of C.B."; and count III) lewd and lascivious assault upon E.B. Appellant's motion to sever all counts was denied. The jury found the appellant guilty as charged on counts I and III, and guilty of the lesser-included offense of simple battery on count II.

Both victims testified at trial. C.B. testified that the appellant had rubbed her breasts and touched her on her front and back private parts, that he had put his finger inside her when they were covered with a blanket while watching television, and on another occasion, he put his finger in her butt. E.B. testified that the appellant had touched her breasts and private parts over her clothes. The evidence also revealed that C.B. had given a number of conflicting statements to the police, her doctor, and her counselor from the child protection team concerning the extent of the physical attacks by appellant.

Christine Brankston, a child protection team coordinator, testified concerning out-of-court statements made by both children. The versions told to Brankston was essentially the same as the trial court testimony of the children. Dr. Soha, the child protection team physician, testified concerning physical characteristics of C.B.'s vaginal area which were consistent with vaginal penetration, and also testified concerning statements made to her by C.B. during the course of her examination. Testimony was also received from several police officers concerning their contact with and conversations with both victims.

Rule 3.150(a), Fla.R.Crim.P., states Two or more offenses which are triable in the same court may be charged in the same indictment or information in a separate count for each offense, when the offenses ... are based on the same act or transaction or on two more connected acts or transactions.

In order for offenses to be properly consolidated for trial, they must be connected in an "episodic" sense. Garcia v. State, 568 So.2d 896 (Fla.1990); Livingston v. State, 565 So.2d 1288, 1290 (Fla.1988).

Quoting from Garcia v. State, 568 So.2d 896, 899 (Fla.1990), the supreme court recently stated that the

"connected acts or transactions" requirement of rule 3.150 means that the acts joined for trial must be considered "in an episodic sense[.] [T]he rules do not warrant joinder or consolidation of criminal charges based on similar but separate episodes, separated in time, which are 'connected' only by similar circumstances and the accused's alleged guilt in both or all instances." Paul [v. State, 365 So.2d 1063, 1065-66 (Fla. 1st DCA1979) (Smith, J., dissenting), adopted in part, 385 So.2d 1371, 1372 (Fla.1980) ]. Courts may consider "the temporal and geographical association, the nature of the crimes, and the manner in which they were committed." Bundy [v. State, 455 So.2d 330, 345 (Fla.1984), cert. denied, 476 U.S. 1109, 106 S.Ct. 1958, 90 L.Ed.2d 366 (1986) ]. However, interests in practicality, efficiency, expense, convenience, and judicial economy, do not outweigh the defendant's right to a fair determination of guilt or innocence. [State v.] Williams, 453 So.2d [824, 825 (Fla.1984) ].

Wright v. State, 586 So.2d 1024, 1029-30 (Fla.1991). See also Fotopoulos v. State, 608 So.2d 784 (Fla.1992), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 113 S.Ct. 2377, 124 L.Ed.2d 282 (1993).

When the charges are based upon similar but separate episodes which are connected only by the accused's alleged guilt, joinder (or consolidation) is improper. State v. Williams, 453 So.2d 824, 825 (Fla.1984); Fotopoulos, supra. Thus, in child sexual molestation cases, motions to sever should be granted where offenses occurred at different times and places, involving different victims.

In Wallis v. State, 548 So.2d 808 (Fla. 5th DCA1989), three informations, each alleging sexual battery upon a different child, were consolidated for trial. The three victims were sisters. In reversing the convictions, the court ruled the "acts charged in each information related to a different victim and an entirely separate and different factual event than that charged in each other information." 548 So.2d at 809. Similarly, in Ellis v. State, 534 So.2d 1234 (Fla. 2d DCA1988), the court concluded the acts committed against two of the victims were not connected in an episodic sense to the act allegedly committed against a third victim where the evidence showed the "acts were related only in that they were sex offenses occurring within the same two-month period in defendant's home, the victims knew each other, and the defendant was allegedly guilty." 534 So.2d at 1236; see also Bierer v. State, 582 So.2d 1230 (Fla. 3d DCA1991) (motion to sever should have been granted where offenses occurred at different times and places and involved different victims), review denied, 591 So.2d 180 (Fla.1991).

In the instant case, misconduct involving C.B. was not linked in a episodic sense to the act involving E.B. As in Ellis, the offenses were related only in that they were sex offenses occurring within the same seven-month period, the victims were related to each other, and appellant allegedly was guilty.

In Livingston v. State, 565 So.2d 1288 (Fla.1988), the supreme court...

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9 cases
  • Hammond v. State, 94-02262
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • 22 Septiembre 1995
    ...court found similarity in the offenses from the custodial authority of the defendant, that finding was erroneous. In Roark v. State, 620 So.2d 237, 239 (Fla. 1st DCA), rev. denied, 629 So.2d 135 (Fla.1993), the court stated that it was error not to sever offenses that "were related only in ......
  • Burnett v. State
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • 16 Enero 2008
    ...required. However, the postconviction court's analysis of the propriety of severance was insufficient. As noted in Roark v. State, 620 So.2d 237, 239 (Fla. 1st DCA 1993), "in child sexual molestation cases, motions to sever should be granted where offenses occurred at different times and pl......
  • Tartarini v. State
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • 4 Abril 2012
    ...they [were] without question ‘linked in some significant way.’ " Id. Much closer to the present case were the facts in Roark v. State, 620 So.2d 237 (Fla. 1st DCA 1993). There we held the trial court erred in failing to grant Roark's motion to sever a count of lewd and lascivious assault on......
  • Alford v. State
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • 15 Junio 2015
    ...proper in molestation cases where the offenses occurred at different times and places and involved different victims. Roark v. State, 620 So.2d 237, 239 (Fla. 1st DCA 1993). Moreover, this court has rejected the position that misjoinder would constitute harmless error in all familial sexual......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

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