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629 So. 2d 960

Anderson v. State

District Court of Appeal of Florida

Decided December 22, 1993

District Court of Appeal of Florida · decided 1993-12-22

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently June 1994

1 state decisions

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“effecting a lawful arrest constitutes lawful execution of a legal duty.”

quoted by 1 later decision, including 639 So. 2d 609 - State v. Anderson

Relies on 604 So. 2d 1291 - McBride v. State · Brass v. Criminal District Court

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1993-12-22

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

FARMER, Judge.

¶1Defendant was convicted of possession of cocaine and resisting arrest without violence. As to the resisting arrest charge the trial court instructed the jury merely that “effecting a lawful arrest constitutes lawful execution of a legal duty.” We reverse.

¶2In Scott v. State, 594 So.2d 882 (Fla. 4th DCA 1992), we reversed a conviction for resisting without violence where the precise instruction given was “an arrest constitutes a lawful execution of a legal duty.” Here the same instruction was given but with the simple addition of the word “lawful” before the word “arrest.” Without an instruction defining “lawful,” the instruction in this case cannot be fairly distinguished from that given in Scott.

¶3In any event the state makes no attempt to distinguish Scotton that basis, but instead merely argues that defendant failed to object to the proposed instruction at the charge conference and thereby preserve any error. We find from the record that defendant did indeed object to this very instruction, and thus the error was preserved.1

¶4While we affirm on all other issues raised, we reverse the conviction for resisting arrest without violence and remand for a new trial on that charge.

¶5REVERSED AND REMANDED WITH DIRECTIONS.

DELL, C.J., and GUNTHER, J., concur.

¶6. In reversing on this ground, we note that in McBride v. State, 604 So.2d 1291 (Fla. 3d DCA 1992), the court expressed conflict with out decision in Scott. In McBride, the instruction given was "an arrest and detention constitutes [the] lawful execution of a legal duty.” We could not distinguish the Scottinstruction from McBrideeither. To the extent that the instruction in the case we review today is indistinguishable from Scott, we certify conflict with McBride.

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