Opinion
No. 4D99-4080.
Opinion filed March 15, 2000.
Appeal of order denying rule 3.850 motion from the Circuit Court of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, Palm Beach County; Howard C. Berman, Judge; L.T. No. 96-11609 CFA02.
Jeffrey Harley, Arcadia, pro se.
Robert A. Butterworth, Attorney General, Tallahassee, and Joseph A. Tringali, Assistant Attorney General, West Palm Beach, for appellee.
Jeffrey Harley appeals the trial court's order denying his motion for post-conviction relief. We reverse on two points.
Harley's claim that counsel's failure to investigate an intoxication defense constituted ineffective assistance of trial counsel and requires an evidentiary hearing. Harley alleges sufficient facts to support the claim, i.e., he was intoxicated when the crimes occurred and he told his attorney of his intoxication.
The trial court accepted the state's position that trial counsel's failure to raise a voluntary intoxication defense was a strategic decision and the defense was inconsistent with the trial defense of misidentification. Generally, an evidentiary hearing is required to conclude that action or inaction was a strategic decision. See Sampson v. State, 23 Fla. L. Weekly D 2559 (Fla. 2d DCA Nov. 20, 1998). This case is remanded for the trial to conduct an evidentiary hearing in connection with that claim.
At the very least resentencing is required. Harley contends that he was sentenced under the "Officer Evelyn Gort and All Fallen Officers Career Criminal Act of 1995". That Act has been held to be unconstitutional, and Harley's crimes occurred within the window period as set forth by this court. State v. Thompson, 25 Fla. L. Weekly S1 (Fla. Dec. 22, 1999); Salters v. State, 731 So.2d 826 (Fla. 4th DCA 1999).
GUNTHER, FARMER and HAZOURI, JJ., concur.