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Stromberger v. State

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District
Mar 27, 1992
595 So. 2d 587 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1992)

Opinion

No. 91-01564.

March 27, 1992.

Appeal from the Circuit Court for Hillsborough County; Harry Lee Coe, III, Judge.

James Marion Moorman, Public Defender, Bartow, and Timothy J. Ferreri, Asst. Public Defender, Bartow, for appellant.

Robert A. Butterworth, Atty. Gen., Tallahassee, and Davis G. Anderson, Jr., Asst. Atty. Gen., Tampa, for appellee.


Dax Stromberger challenges his departure sentence for purchase of cocaine. We reverse because none of the trial court's written reasons permit a departure sentence.

In 1989 Stromberger pleaded guilty to purchase of cocaine. The trial court withheld adjudication and placed Stromberger on probation for a period of two years. Following the filing of an amended affidavit for violation of probation alleging that Stromberger was arrested in Tallahassee, Florida, for throwing pipe bombs, Stromberger pleaded guilty to violation of probation. The trial court adjudicated Stromberger guilty of the original offense, sentenced Stromberger to a departure sentence of fifteen years in prison, and filed its written reasons for the departure. The permitted guidelines sentence, with the one-cell bump-up permitted by Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.701(d)(14), provided for a maximum prison sentence of three and one-half years.

The affidavit contained various allegations of violation of probation. The trial court's order revoking Stromberger's probation included the following violations: failure to submit monthly reports for June and July of 1990; failure to pay $30.00 per month; leaving the approved residence; failure to complete an in-patient drug treatment program; and throwing pipe bombs in Tallahassee, Florida.

The trial court listed eight reasons for departing from the sentencing guidelines. The second, fourth, and eighth reasons are invalid because factors relating to the violation of probation are not valid grounds for imposing a departure sentence for the original offense. See Ree v. State, 565 So.2d 1329 (Fla. 1990); Lambert v. State, 545 So.2d 838 (Fla. 1989). The third reason, diagnosis as a sociopath with poor prognosis for future behavior patterns, has been held invalid. See Coleman v. State, 515 So.2d 313 (Fla. 2d DCA 1987), review denied, 523 So.2d 576 (Fla. 1988) (suffering from difficult-to-treat personality disorder and speculating on possible future violence are invalid reasons for departure). All other reasons listed are not supported by the record.

Reversed and remanded for sentencing within the sentencing guidelines.

CAMPBELL, A.C.J., and PARKER and ALTENBERND, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

Stromberger v. State

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District
Mar 27, 1992
595 So. 2d 587 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1992)
Case details for

Stromberger v. State

Case Details

Full title:DAX ALEXANDER STROMBERGER, APPELLANT, v. STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Court:District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District

Date published: Mar 27, 1992

Citations

595 So. 2d 587 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1992)