Johnson v. State

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
OF FLORIDA
SECOND DISTRICT
JENNIFER JOHNSON, )
)
Appellant, )
)
v. ) Case No. 2D15-52
)
STATE OF FLORIDA, )
)
Appellee. )
___________________________________)
Opinion filed October 2, 2015.
Appeal pursuant to Fla. R. App. P.
9.141(b)(2) from the Circuit Court for
Polk County; Reinaldo Ojeda, Judge.
PER CURIAM.
Jennifer Johnson appeals the order summarily denying her motion for jail
credit filed under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.801. The postconviction court
denied Ms. Johnson's motion on the merits, because it found she was properly awarded
forty-seven days of jail credit for the time spent between the issuance of the capias on
August 14, 2014, until her sentencing on September 30, 2014.
In her motion, Ms. Johnson claimed entitlement to a total of eighty-seven
days of jail credit from the date of her arrest on July 5, 2014, until her sentencing on
September 30, 2014. A defendant is considered to be in custody from the date of the
initial arrest. See Bronk v. State, 25 So. 3d 701, 703 (Fla. 2d DCA 2010); see also
Gethers v. State, 838 So. 2d 504, 506-07 (Fla. 2003).
The postconviction court failed to address Ms. Johnson's claim that she
was entitled to jail credit from the date of her arrest but instead only addressed the
credit due from the issuance of her capias. It is possible that Ms. Johnson was served
with her capias while in jail on her warrantless arrest. The record failed to refute her
claim. This was error and requires reversal. See Foley v. State, 857 So. 2d 292, 293
(Fla. 2d DCA 2003) (reversing the denial of a motion for jail credit because the
postconviction court failed to refute the defendant's claim that he was entitled to credit
from the date of his arrest until sentencing). The postconviction court should promptly
review Ms. Johnson's claim in light of her expected date of release. Accordingly, we
reverse the postconviction court's order and remand for reconsideration of Ms.
Johnson's rule 3.801 motion.
Reversed and remanded for reconsideration.
ALTENBERND, WALLACE, and MORRIS, JJ., Concur.
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