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Thomas v. State

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District
Aug 19, 1998
716 So. 2d 789 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1998)

Opinion

No. 97-1450

Opinion filed August 19, 1998 JULY TERM 1998

Appeal from the Circuit Court for the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, Broward County; Joyce Julian, Judge; L.T. No. 94-9986 CF10(A).

Richard L. Jorandby, Public Defender, and Bernard S. Fernandez, Assistant Public Defender, West Palm Beach, for appellant.

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


Appellant was charged with sexual activity with a child which was alleged to have occurred on or about June 10, 1994. He pled guilty and was sentenced on March 30, 1995. He appeals an order granting the state's motion to have him declared a sexual predator, arguing that it violates double jeopardy. In Collie v. State, 710 So.2d 1000 (Fla. 2d DCA 1998), the second district concluded that the registration required by the Florida Sexual Predator's Act, codified at section 775.21-.23, Florida Statutes (1995), does not constitute double jeopardy. We agree with Collie in that regard.

Appellant also argues that the trial court erred in granting the state's motion to declare him a sexual predator in his absence. It does not appear, however, under the circumstances of this case, that the trial court had any choice but to grant the state's motion to have appellant declared a sexual predator. The granting of the motion was perfunctory. This was not a critical stage of the proceeding which would require appellant's presence. Collie, 710 So.2d at 1011-12.

Affirmed.

DELL, GUNTHER and KLEIN, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

Thomas v. State

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District
Aug 19, 1998
716 So. 2d 789 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1998)
Case details for

Thomas v. State

Case Details

Full title:JAMES THOMAS, Appellant, v. STATE OF FLORIDA, Appellee

Court:District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District

Date published: Aug 19, 1998

Citations

716 So. 2d 789 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1998)

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