Supreme Court of Florida
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No. SC13-417
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TONSHAD LEVON CULPEPPER,
Petitioner,
vs.
STATE OF FLORIDA,
Respondent.
[April 17, 2014]
QUINCE, J.
We have for review Culpepper v. State, 107 So. 3d 521 (Fla. 2d DCA 2013),
in which the Second District Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court’s dismissal of
a conviction of grand theft when the defendant was charged with both grand theft
and dealing in stolen property in connection with one scheme or course of conduct.
The Second District certified conflict with Kiss v. State, 42 So. 3d 810 (Fla. 4th
DCA 2010), and certified the same questions it had certified in Williams v. State,
66 So. 3d 360 (Fla. 2d DCA 2011), quashed, 121 So. 3d 524 (Fla. 2013). At the
time that the Second District issued its decision below, Williams was pending
review in this Court. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 3(b)(4), Fla. Const.
We stayed proceedings in this case pending disposition of Williams v. State,
121 So. 3d 524 (Fla. 2013). In Williams, we held that the defendant’s convictions
for dealing in stolen property and grand theft violated section 812.025, Florida
Statutes (2008); that the trial court erred in denying the defendant’s request for a
jury instruction modeled after that section; and that the trial court erred in
precluding defense counsel from arguing during closing arguments that the jury
could find the defendant guilty of either offense. Id. at 534. We concluded that the
errors were harmful and quashed the Second District’s decision. Id. We then
issued an order in the instant case directing Respondent to show cause why this
Court should not accept jurisdiction, summarily quash the Second District’s
decision below, and remand for reconsideration in light of our decision in
Williams. Respondent filed a response conceding that it was “unable to show
cause why this Court should not accept jurisdiction and remand for reconsideration
in light of its opinion in Williams.” Petitioner did not file a reply.
Upon consideration of Respondent’s response, we grant the petition for
review, quash the district court’s decision in Culpepper, and remand this case to
the Second District with instruction that the case be remanded to the trial court for
further proceedings consistent with this Court’s decision in Williams.
It is so ordered.
POLSTON, C.J., and PARIENTE, LEWIS, CANADY, LABARGA, and PERRY,
JJ., concur.
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NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO FILE REHEARING MOTION, AND
IF FILED, DETERMINED.
Application for Review of the Decision of the District Court of Appeal - Certified
Direct Conflict of Decisions
Second District – Case No. 2D11-4647
(Polk County)
Howard L. Dimmig, II, Public Defender, and Karen M. Kinney, Assistant Public
Defender, Bartow, Florida,
for Petitioner
Pamela Jo Bondi, Attorney General, Tallahassee, Florida; Robert J. Krauss, Chief-
Assistant Attorney General and Dawn A. Tiffin, Assistant Attorney General,
Tampa, Florida,
for Respondent
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