Gary Warren v. State of Florida
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledMay 12, 2021
Docket1D19-2706
StatusPublished
📰 News Coverage: Read the LAWS.com news report on this case
Full Opinion
FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
STATE OF FLORIDA
_____________________________
No. 1D19-2706
_____________________________
GARY WARREN,
Appellant/Cross-Appellee,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA,
Appellee/Cross-Appellant.
_____________________________
On appeal from the Circuit Court for Leon County.
James C. Hankinson, Judge.
May 12, 2021
PER CURIAM.
The State charged Appellant with seven counts of sexual
crimes against his stepdaughter. A jury found him guilty as
charged on all counts. Counts one, two, and three were for sexual
battery by a familial or custodial authority, contrary to section
794.011(8)(b), Florida Statutes. Counts four and five were for lewd
or lascivious molestation, contrary to section 800.04(5)(c)2.,
Florida Statutes. Counts six and seven were for battery of a child
by expelling seminal fluid onto the victim, contrary to section
784.085, Florida Statutes. At sentencing, the State and defense
stipulated that double jeopardy applied to prohibit sentencing for
counts two, five, and seven. These three counts are worded
identically on the charging document, with identical dates, to
counts one, four, and six, respectively. The State disagreed with
the defense, however, on whether count four, the remaining lewd
or lascivious molestation charge, was necessarily subsumed by
count three, the remaining sexual battery charge. Applying Lee v.
State, 258 So. 3d 1297 (Fla. 2018), the trial court determined that
it could only examine the language of the charging document for
double jeopardy purposes and dismissed count four. The trial court
sentenced Appellant to thirty years in prison for count one, ten
years of probation for count three, and a concurrent term of five
years in prison for count six. Appellant was also adjudicated to be
a sexual predator.
On appeal, Appellant challenges his judgment and sentences
on several grounds. He argues that he should have been able to
introduce evidence that the victim had viewed pornographic
material online (to support his theory that the victim had
knowledge of sexual matters, was sexually aggressive, and had
fabricated her allegations against Appellant when he rejected her
sexual advances). Appellant also asserts that the State made
improper closing remarks and that his convictions for sexual
battery and battery by expelling seminal fluid onto his victim
violated double jeopardy. We affirm these issues without comment.
On cross-appeal, the State argues the trial court should not
have dismissed counts two, four, five, and seven on double jeopardy
grounds at sentencing. Because the State stipulated to the
dismissal of counts two, five, and seven at sentencing, it waived
any objection to the trial court’s dismissal of those three counts.
We therefore decline to reach the merits of those claims. But we
agree with the State on its argument about count four, which it
raised below and properly preserved for our review. As Appellant
concedes, the trial court erred in dismissing count four because
double jeopardy does not bar dual convictions for sexual battery
and lewd and lascivious molestation. See Roughton v. State, 185
So. 3d 1207, 1210 (Fla. 2016) (holding that convictions for capital
sexual battery and lewd or lascivious molestation, based on a
single act, did not violate double jeopardy). Thus, we reverse the
trial court’s dismissal of count four and remand with directions for
the trial court to reinstate the conviction for lewd and lascivious
molestation and to conduct sentencing for the reinstated count.
AFFIRMED in part, REVERSED in part, and REMANDED.
2
MAKAR, WINOKUR, and NORDBY, JJ., concur.
_____________________________
Not final until disposition of any timely and
authorized motion under Fla. R. App. P. 9.330 or
9.331.
_____________________________
Baya Harrison, III, Monticello, for Appellant/Cross-Appellee.
Ashley Moody, Attorney General, and Daren L. Shippy, Assistant
Attorney General, Tallahassee, for Appellee/Cross-Appellant.
3