Court Opinion

ID: 9391860
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-05-03 15:04:11.331122+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:18:25.366987
License: Public Domain

Third District Court of Appeal
                             State of Florida

                       Opinion filed May 3, 2023.

                          ________________

                            No. 3D23-473
                     Lower Tribunal No. AGPA77E
                         ________________

                      Marion Gordel McCutchen,
                              Petitioner,

                                   vs.

                         The State of Florida,
                             Respondent.

     A Case of Original Jurisdiction – Habeas Corpus.

      Carlos J. Martinez, Public Defender, and John Eddy Morrison,
Assistant Public Defender, for petitioner.

      Ashley Moody, Attorney General, and Magaly Rodriguez, Assistant
Attorney General, for respondent.

Before SCALES, MILLER and LOBREE, JJ.

                        On Confession of Error
      PER CURIAM.

      Petitioner Marion Gordel McCutchen petitions this Court for a writ of

habeas corpus or, in the alternative, a writ of mandamus to quash a bench

warrant issued in the County Court of Miami-Dade County. On respondent

State of Florida’s commendable confession of error, we grant the petition for

writ of habeas corpus and quash the trial court’s bench warrant.

      On July 27, 2022, Petitioner was arrested for driving without a valid

driver’s license and for driving a vehicle with an expired tag. Petitioner

executed an Acknowledgement of Appointment of the Public Defender to

represent him, which included a waiver of his presence at all pre-trial

conferences, pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.180(a)(3).

      Petitioner’s case was on a calendar for a status report on March 3,

2023. At this hearing, when Petitioner did not appear, the trial court issued a

bench warrant for Petitioner’s arrest with a $250 bond, despite the Public

Defender informing the trial court that Petitioner had waived his presence in

court. Our record reflects, and the State concedes, that the trial court erred

by not providing advance notice to Petitioner, through counsel, that his

presence in court was required before issuing the bench warrant. See

Westberry v. State, 246 So. 3d 1308, 1309 (Fla. 3d DCA 2018).

      Petition for writ of habeas corpus granted; bench warrant quashed.

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