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Reeves v. State
Citation: 423 So. 2d 1017Docket: 82-264
Court: District Court of Appeal of Florida; December 28, 1982; Florida; State Appellate Court
Jasper Otis Reeves appeals his conviction for the sale of marijuana, where he was sentenced as a youthful offender to two years in prison followed by two years of community control. Reeves contests the trial court's decision to allow testimony regarding a telephone call from an unidentified man who claimed responsibility for selling marijuana to the witness. The appellate court determined that the trial court erred in admitting this testimony, as it was not linked to Reeves and served only to prejudice the jury without being relevant to the charges against him. Citing similar precedents, including Coleman v. State and Jones v. State, the court emphasized that testimony about attempts to influence a witness is permissible only if connected to the defendant. Since there was no evidence that Reeves was involved in the conversation, the court found the error harmful and reversed the conviction, remanding for a new trial. Judges Downey and Beranek concurred in this decision.