On appeal from the Circuit Court for Duval County.Jonathan D. Sacks, Judge.
James Uthmeier, Attorney General, and Miranda L. Butson,Assistant Attorney General, Tallahassee, for Appellant.
Matthew J. Metz, Public Defender, and Ali L. Hansen, AssistantPublic Defender, Daytona Beach, for Appellee.
March 6, 2026
PER CURIAM.
This is an appeal by the State from the trial court’s ordergranting Appellee’s motion to suppress. We agree with the Statethat the trial court erred in granting the motion because theundisputed facts—which were recorded on the testifying officer’sbody camera—established as a matter of law that Appellee’smother validly consented to the search of Appellee’s bedroom
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2where a firearm was found in plain view in an open drawer. SeePreston v. State, 444 So. 2d 939, 943 (Fla. 1984) (holding thatdefendant’s mother had common authority to consent to the searchof defendant’s bedroom where she had access to the room,defendant did not lock the room or instruct his mother not to letanyone enter the room, and articles were left out in the open),vacated on other grounds, 564 So. 2d 120 (Fla. 1990); Spinkellinkv. State, 313 So. 2d 666, 669 (Fla. 1975) (upholding the seizure ofa gun that was found in “plain view” in a partially opened kitchendrawer pursuant to a consent search). In light of this conclusion,we do not address the State’s other arguments.REVERSED and REMANDED.JAY, C.J., and WALLIS and MACIVER, JJ., concur._____________________________Not final until disposition of any timely andauthorized motion under Fla. R. App. P. 9.330 or9.331._____________________________
Opinion text and original PDF from Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal · Source opinion