Case Name: Theodore Earl BRADSHAW, Petitioner, v. Kenneth JENNE, as Sheriff of Broward County, Respondent
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2000-03-15
Citations: 754 So. 2d 109
Docket Number: No. 4D99-3641
Parties: Theodore Earl BRADSHAW, Petitioner, v. Kenneth JENNE, as Sheriff of Broward County, Respondent.
Judges: GUNTHER, J., concurs.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 754
Pages: 109–114

Head Matter:
Theodore Earl BRADSHAW, Petitioner, v. Kenneth JENNE, as Sheriff of Broward County, Respondent.
No. 4D99-3641.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.
March 15, 2000.
Scott Hecker of H. Scott Hecker, P.A., Fort Lauderdale, for petitioner.
No response required from respondent.

Opinion:
STONE, J.
We deny this petition for a writ of habe-as corpus. The trial court denied Bradshaw pre-trial bond after his failure to appear, without formally determining whether there were any conditions of release that would assure his appearance for trial.
Bradshaw is facing charges involving aggravated fleeing and eluding. He failed to appear for his arraignment. The trial court held a hearing on a motion to set a new bond. Upon questioning by the court, Bradshaw admitted that he knew he had a court date. He also acknowledged that his attorney never told him not to show up.
The court, after hearing testimony about Bradshaw's lack of assets and his ties to the community, ruled that it was "not letting him out. I don't think that he intended to be here." The court stated further, "I don't think he cared to be here. I think he avoided coming to court. Pm denying any bond at this point."
Persons charged with crimes are entitled to pretrial release on reasonable conditions unless no conditions of release can reasonably protect the community from harm, assure the presence of the accused at trial, assure the integrity of the judicial process, or unless the accused is charged with a capital or life offense and the proof of guilt is evident or the presumption is great. Elderbroom v. Knowles, 621 So.2d 518, 520 (Fla. 4th DCA 1993); Fla. R.Crim. P. 3.131(a). However, a defendant who violates the conditions of bail by failing to appear may be subject to revocation of bail and commitment to cus tody. See Fla. R.Crim. P. 3.131(g); Wilson v. State, 669 So.2d 312 (Fla. 5th DCA 1996).
We note that in Malave v. State, 727 So.2d 1002 (Fla. 4th DCA 1999), this court, citing Wilson, granted a writ of habeas corpus where the trial court, in revoking a defendant's bond based on his failure to appear, did not make a finding that the failure to appear was willful. In Wilson, the court observed that where a defendant on pretrial bond fails to appear, "the court may simply commit a defendant to custody without determining whether conditions of release are appropriate. However, implicit in the rule is that the failure to appear occurred after reasonable notice, and was willful." 669 So.2d at 313.
In Winters v. Jenne, 24 Fla. L. Weekly D1387, — So.2d -, 1999 WL 393678 (Fla. 4th DCA June 11, 1999), in which the defendant's pretrial bond was revoked based on a failure to appear at her scheduled arraignment, this court found insufficient evidence of willfulness and remanded for reconsideration of the issue. The court directed the trial court to "also consider whether any conditions of release are reasonably likely to assure her appearance at subsequent proceedings, and if appropriate, to reinstate bail with such necessary conditions." Id. at D1387, at -. In Winters, we did not address whether those two issues are to be considered in the alternative (that is, if there was no willfulness, then the court should consider whether any conditions would assure Defendant's future appearance), or whether both criteria must be considered, even where the failure to appear is found to be willful.
The purpose of bail is to secure the defendant's appearance for trial. Once the defendant failed to appear and the court held a hearing, found that the failure was willful, and denied further bail, it is implicit from the court's statements that the trial court concluded that the defendant was a threat not to appear for trial and that no conditions of pretrial release would reasonably assure the defendant's presence. We do not read Winters as requiring more. We have considered Martinez v. State, 715 So.2d 1024 (Fla. 4th DCA 1998), but note that in that case, there was no indication or determination that the defendant's failure to appear was willful. In fact, the trial court found that "for the most part, he shows for his tickets but he doesn't bother to pay them.... "
We cannot say that the trial court abused its discretion in making its finding of willful failure to appear. Bradshaw admitted that he knew he had a court date and that he was not told by counsel not to show up. Therefore, the petition is denied.
GUNTHER, J., concurs.
TAYLOR, J., dissents with opinion.
. We have considered, but do not address, Metzger v. Cochran, 694 So.2d 842 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997), and Merdian v. Cochran, 654 So.2d 573 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995), as those cases concern defendants who violate the pretrial condition of refraining from criminal activity. The instant case concerns a defendant's failure to appear as a basis for denying or revoking bond.