Case Name: Alvin GIROUX, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2007-05-09
Citations: 955 So. 2d 656
Docket Number: No. 4D06-2083
Parties: Alvin GIROUX, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
Judges: WARNER, POLEN and HAZOURI, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 955
Pages: 656–656

Head Matter:
Alvin GIROUX, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
No. 4D06-2083.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.
May 9, 2007.
Carey Haughwout, Public Defender, and Richard B. Greene, Assistant Public Defender, West Palm Beach, for appellant.
Bill McCollum, Attorney General, Tallahassee, and Georgina Jimenez-Orosa, Assistant Attorney General, West Palm Beach, for appellee.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
The appellant was convicted of lewd and lascivious molestation of his stepdaughter by touching her vaginal area over her clothing. While he contends that the evidence was legally insufficient and required a judgment of acquittal, we disagree. Not only did the child and the mother see the appellant remove his hand from the child's clothing, but when confronted by the mother, he essentially admitted to the conduct. The evidence met the elements of the statute. See § 800.04(5)(a), Florida Statutes (2005) ("A person who intentionally touches in a lewd or lascivious manner the breasts, genitals, genital area, or buttocks, or the clothing covering them, of a person less than 16 years of age . commits lewd or lascivious molestation."). Further, the question of whether the touching was committed lewdly or lasciviously is one of fact for the jury. See Rosen v. State, 940 So.2d 1155 (Fla. 5th DCA 2006).
Affirmed.
WARNER, POLEN and HAZOURI, JJ., concur.