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Melton v. State

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District
Dec 8, 1999
746 So. 2d 1188 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1999)

Opinion

No. 99-0789.

Opinion filed December 8, 1999.

Appeal from the Circuit Court for the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, Martin County; Larry Schack, Judge; L.T. No. 97-1244-CFA.

Richard L. Jorandby, Public Defender, and Karen E. Ehrlich, Assistant Public Defender, West Palm Beach, for appellant.

Robert A. Butterworth, Attorney General, Tallahassee, and Jeanine M. Germanowicz, Assistant Attorney General, West Palm Beach, for appellee.


We affirm appellant's conviction for committing a lewd, lascivious, or indecent act upon a child under the age of sixteen in violation of section 800.04, Florida Statutes (1997). The trial court did not abuse its discretion when it sustained the State's objection to a comment made by appellant's counsel during closing argument. The objectionable statement as phrased constituted a comment upon facts not in evidence.

We reverse appellant's sentences under both the prison releasee reoffender statute and the habitual offender statute as a violation of the double jeopardy protection against multiple punishment for the same offense. See Cardell Adams v. State, No. 98-3338, 1999 WL 966743, at *2 (Fla. 4th DCA Oct. 20, 1999). We remand for the trial court to vacate appellant's sentence and resentence him pursuant to either the Prison Releasee Reoffender statute or the Habitual Felony Offender statute, but not both. See §§ 775.084, 775.082, Fla. Stat. (1999); John M. Glave v. State, No. 98-1314, 1999 WL 1016229 (Fla. 4th DCA Nov. 10, 1999).

AFFIRMED in part, REVERSED in part, and REMANDED.

WARNER, C.J., and GUNTHER, J., concur.


Summaries of

Melton v. State

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District
Dec 8, 1999
746 So. 2d 1188 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1999)
Case details for

Melton v. State

Case Details

Full title:JAMES ROY MELTON, JR., Appellant, v. STATE OF FLORIDA, Appellee

Court:District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District

Date published: Dec 8, 1999

Citations

746 So. 2d 1188 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1999)

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