John M. Vann v. State of Florida
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledJanuary 8, 2020
Docket2D18-4704
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO FILE REHEARING
MOTION AND, IF FILED, DETERMINED
IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
OF FLORIDA
SECOND DISTRICT
JOHN M. VANN, )
)
Appellant, )
)
v. ) Case No. 2D18-4704
)
STATE OF FLORIDA, )
)
Appellee. )
)
Opinion filed January 8, 2020.
Appeal from the Circuit Court for
Manatee County; Edward Nicholas, Judge.
Howard L. Dimmig, II, Public Defender,
and Joanna B. Conner, Assistant Public
Defender, Bartow, for Appellant.
Ashley Moody, Attorney General,
Tallahassee, and Elba Caridad Martin,
Assistant Attorney General, Tampa, for
Appellee.
LaROSE, Judge.
John M. Vann challenges an order revoking his probation. The State
correctly concedes that the trial court improperly revoked probation based solely on
hearsay evidence. We agree and reverse.
Beginning in August 2017, the State filed several affidavits alleging that
Mr. Vann violated his probation. An amended affidavit filed on September 27, 2017,
alleged that Mr. Vann violated condition three by changing his residence without his
probation officer's consent. The revocation affidavit recited that Mr. Vann's father told
the probation officer that Mr. Vann had moved.
The trial court held a violation of probation hearing. Mr. Vann's probation
officer was the only witness to testify. She explained that after Mr. Vann failed to report
to her for several months, she attempted to visit him at his home. She testified that Mr.
Vann's father greeted her at the home. The probation officer further testified:
I asked where John was, and [his father] said he was not
there and had not been there in a while. He thought
because he was aware of the VOP warrant, so he did state
that he thought that Mr. Vann, his son, wasn't there because
he was -- because of the warrant. He stated he'd been in
contact with John, but that he hadn't been there in a few
weeks and did not know exactly where he was.
At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court revoked probation,
concluding that Mr. Vann had violated condition three. The trial court deemed Mr.
Vann's failure to report to his probation officer as corroborative of the hearsay evidence
and explained that Mr. Vann had violated probation by "failing to report as directed by
moving and absconding from supervision." This was error.
A trial court's decision to revoke probation is reviewed for an abuse of
discretion. See Savage v. State, 120 So. 3d 619, 623 (Fla. 2d DCA 2013). Competent
substantial evidence must support a finding of a willful and substantial violation. Id.
Hearsay evidence, by itself, is insufficient to revoke probation. See Gary v. State, 987
So. 2d 180, 181 (Fla. 2d DCA 2008) (holding that hearsay testimony from probationer's
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daughter that probationer was no longer living at his approved residence was legally
insufficient to support a revocation of probation). Additional nonhearsay evidence is
required to establish a willful and substantial violation. See Rowan v. State, 696 So. 2d
842, 843 (Fla. 2d DCA 1997).
Further, in revoking Mr. Vann's probation, the trial court relied on
testimony that Mr. Vann had failed to report to the probation officer. However, "[a] trial
court is not permitted to revoke probation on conduct not charged in the affidavit of
revocation." Johnson v. State, 811 So. 2d 749, 750 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002). None of the
affidavits filed against Mr. Vann alleged that he had violated this condition of probation.
The hearsay statements of Mr. Vann's father were legally insufficient to
revoke probation. And the State did not claim that Mr. Vann failed to report to his
probation officer. Accordingly, we reverse the revocation order and sentence.
Reversed.
CASANUEVA and SALARIO, JJ., Concur.
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