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Cruz v. Singletary

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District
Dec 1, 1999
765 So. 2d 55 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1999)

Opinion

No. 98-2017

Opinion filed December 1, 1999 JULY TERM 1999

Appeal from the Circuit Court for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, Palm Beach County; Stephen A. Rapp, Judge; L.T. No. 94-574 CFA02.

Richard L. Jorandby, Public Defender, and Louis G. Carres, Assistant Public Defender, West Palm Beach, for appellant.

Robert A. Butterworth, Attorney General, Tallahassee, and Ettie Feistmann, Assistant Attorney General, West Palm Beach, for appellee.


We affirmed Cruz's judgment in Cruz v. State, 677 So.2d 365 (Fla. 4th DCA 1996), but reversed his upward departure sentence because the trial court's stated reasons for departure were not sufficiently specific for this court to determine whether those reasons were supported by the record. On remand, the trial court entered a detailed order again sentencing Cruz to an upward departure sentence of 180 months. We affirm.

Even if we were unable to determine from the record whether Cruz used his child as a weapon to force his ex-wife to do his bidding, the trial court's second stated reason for departure is valid. A departure sentence shall be upheld when at least one of the court's stated reasons justifies the departure. § 921.001(6), Fla. Stat. (1997). The record contains ample evidence that Cruz's ex-wife suffered extraordinary emotional trauma as a result of this incident. Adams v. State, 702 So.2d 1350 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997); Johnson v. State, 695 So.2d 787 (Fla. 1st DCA 1997); § 921.001(7), Fla. Stat. (1997).

AFFIRMED.

WARNER, C.J., POLEN and GROSS, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

Cruz v. Singletary

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District
Dec 1, 1999
765 So. 2d 55 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1999)
Case details for

Cruz v. Singletary

Case Details

Full title:PORFIRIO CRUZ, Appellant, v. HARRY K. SINGLETARY, JR., Appellee

Court:District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District

Date published: Dec 1, 1999

Citations

765 So. 2d 55 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1999)