Wooten v. State

Decision Date10 November 1987
Docket NumberNo. 86-2585,86-2585
Citation515 So.2d 331,12 Fla. L. Weekly 2581
Parties12 Fla. L. Weekly 2581 Anthony WOOTEN, Appellant, v. The STATE of Florida, Appellee.
CourtFlorida District Court of Appeals

Benneth H. Brummer, Public Defender and Harvey J. Sepler, Asst. Public Defender, for appellant.

Robert A. Butterworth, Atty. Gen., and Michael J. Neimand, Asst. Atty. Gen., for appellee.

Before SCHWARTZ, C.J., and BASKIN and FERGUSON, JJ.

PER CURIAM.

Based solely on the unchallenged finding that Wooten was a habitual offender, and notwithstanding the recommended guidelines range of 5-7 1/2 years, the trial judge sentenced him to ten years for second degree grand theft. The ten year sentence, which is the maximum permissible for a habitual offender convicted of a third degree felony, § 775.084(4)(a)3, Fla.Stat. (1985), is unauthorized under Whitehead v. State, 498 So.2d 863 (Fla.1986). On the other hand, as in Condiles v. State, 512 So.2d 331 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987), we reject the defendant's contention that the habitual offender statute may not be employed to increase the statutory limit for the crime in question, which in this case would otherwise be five years, see §§ 812.014(2)(b), 775.082(3)(d), Fla.Stat. (1985), so long as the resulting sentence is within the guidelines. Accord Johnson v. State, 513 So.2d 1388 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987); Bellinger v. State, 513 So.2d 732 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987); Reid v. State, 512 So.2d 1161 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987); Priester v. State, 513 So.2d 796 (Fla. 4th DCA 1987). On these holdings the sentence under review is reversed and the cause remanded for resentencing within the guidelines.

As in Condiles, we certify this cause to the Supreme Court as involving the following question of great public importance:

Is use of the habitual offender statute to exceed the statutorily prescribed maximum sentence for the offense precluded where the sentence imposed does not exceed the recommended guideline sentence?

Reversed and remanded.

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4 cases
  • Inscho v. State
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • 4 Febrero 1988
    ...Statutes. See McGriff v. State, 517 So.2d 94 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987); McMillan v. State, 516 So.2d 1064 (Fla. 4th DCA 1987); Wooten v. State, 515 So.2d 331 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987); Johnson v. State, 513 So.2d 1388 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987); Priester v. State, 513 So.2d 796 (Fla. 4th DCA 1987); Bellinger v. ......
  • Scott v. State
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • 9 Febrero 1988
    ...of grand theft, is five years. We have held to the contrary in Condiles v. State, 512 So.2d 331 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987); Wooten v. State, 515 So.2d 331 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987); Johnson v. State, 513 So.2d 1388 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987); and Bellinger v. State, 513 So.2d 732 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987), and do so aga......
  • Cowles v. State, 86-1841
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • 6 Enero 1988
    ...this court in Smith v. Wainwright, 508 So.2d 768 (Fla. 2d DCA 1987), adversely to the appellant's contentions. Accord Wooten v. State, 515 So.2d 331 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987); Myers v. State, 499 So.2d 895 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986); Winters v. State, 500 So.2d 303 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986). Because we have ce......
  • Wooten v. State
    • United States
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • 1 Abril 1988
    ...881 525 So.2d 881 Wooten (Anthony) v. State NO. 71,493 Supreme Court of Florida. APR 01, 1988 Appeal From: 3d DCA 515 So.2d 331 Rev. ...

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