Case Name: Mark COOPER, Appellant, v. The STATE of Florida, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1978-03-28
Citations: 356 So. 2d 911
Docket Number: No. 76-2304
Parties: Mark COOPER, Appellant, v. The STATE of Florida, Appellee.
Judges: Before PEARSON, BARKDULL and NATHAN, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 356
Pages: 911–913

Head Matter:
Mark COOPER, Appellant, v. The STATE of Florida, Appellee.
No. 76-2304.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District.
March 28, 1978.
Bennett H. Brummer, Public Defender and Warren S. Schwartz, Asst. Public Defender, for appellant.
Robert L. Shevin, Atty. Gen. and Linda Collins Hertz and Ronald A. Dion, Asst. Attys. Gen., for appellee.
Before PEARSON, BARKDULL and NATHAN, JJ.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
The defendant, Mark Cooper, was found guilty after a trial before the court without a jury of malicious destruction of personal property in an amount less than $200, a misdemeanor. He was placed on probation for one year on condition that he pay a fine of $500 and make restitution in the amount of $350. On this appeal, two points are argued: (1) that the trial court erred in refusing to conduct a requested in camera inspection of the statement made by the complaining witness to the state attorney, and (2) that the trial judge erred in making the payment of $350 as restitution a condition of probation. We hold that neither point presents reversible error.
The salient facts are as follows: Cooper was charged by information with having done malicious damage on August 10, 1975, to a Porsche automobile, with damages in excess of $200, a felony. He waived the right to jury trial. His initially retained private counsel withdrew; he was adjudged insolvent, and, on March 23, 1976, the Public Defender was appointed to represent him. A bench trial was held on March 25, 1976, at which time the court found Cooper guilty of malicious destruction of personal property in an amount less than $200, a misdemeanor.
The sole witness to the alleged offense was Cooper's estranged wife, Melanie. She testified at trial that, having separated from defendant, she had returned to his apartment building on September 4, 1975, to retrieve her clothing and other property. She drove there in a Porsche, which she had borrowed from her first husband, and parked it in the parking lot near the building. She stated that on that date, September 4,1975, she saw the defendant slash the seats and damage the hood of the Porsche with a "Buck" knife which she recognized as his.
On September 24, 1975, pursuant to Fla. R.Crim.P. 3.220(a), defendant's original counsel made a demand for discovery of any statements made by any persons known to the prosecutor who had information relevant to the offense charged. The record reveals no response by the State. The defendant did not pursue the matter. Prior to trial, the defendant took the deposition of his estranged wife. The record does not reveal the date that the deposition was taken or whether it was ever transcribed. At trial, on March 25, 1976, after the public defender had completed his cross-examination of Mrs. Cooper, he stated that, although he had taken her deposition, he had not yet had an opportunity to have it transcribed, and that she had referred repeatedly to sworn testimony she had given in the State Attorney's office. He requested an in camera inspection by the court of this missing statement to see whether or not it had impeachment value to the defense. He reiterated that it never had been made available to the defense and that counsel had been appointed only two days previously. He also stated that the defense had exhausted other channels of securing the statement.
When a defendant waits until the middle of a trial to request a statement that he knew to be in existence prior to trial, the trial court will not be held in error for refusing to stop the trial and secure the statement for examination. See Yanetta v. State, 320 So.2d 28 (Fla. 3d DCA 1975); Wilcox v. State, 299 So.2d 48 (Fla. 3d DCA 1974); and Kelsey v. State, 267 So.2d 685 (Fla. 1st DCA 1972). In the present instance, it is clear that the defendant knew of the statement at the time he took Mrs. Cooper's deposition.
We need not determine whether a defendant could, upon proper motion, have secured the production of this particular statement. The State contends that it must have been the affidavit for the issuance of the information, but that fact does not appear on this record.
Defendant's second point does not present reversible error. Section 948.-03(l)(g), Florida Statutes (1975), specifically gives the trial court authority to make restitution a condition of probation. This record supports the finding of the trial judge with regard to the reasonable amount necessary for restitution. See Fresneda v. State, 347 So.2d 1021 (Fla.1977).
Affirmed.