4D11-1260-Jerome Ricketts v. State*

State: Florida

Court: Florida Southern District Court

Docket No: 4D11-1260.op

Case Date: 01/23/2013

Plaintiff: 4D11-1260-Jerome Ricketts

Defendant: State*

Preview:DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA
FOURTH DISTRICT

January Term 2013
JEROME RICKETTS,
Appellant,
v.

STATE OF FLORIDA,
Appellee.
No. 4D11-1260
[January 23, 2013]
POLEN, J.
The defendant was convicted of violating sections 893.135(1)(a) and 893.03(1)(c), Florida Statutes (2009). He now appeals his conviction and sentence arguing (1) that the trial court improperly admitted Williams rule evidence of empty crates found in his storage unit, which alerted a drug-sniffing K9 to the presence of marijuana, and (2) that section
893.135 is facially unconstitutional. We disagree with the defendant and hold that (1) the trial court did not abuse its discretion by admitting this Williams rule evidence because the crates were relevant to prove a continuing scheme and that the defendant had knowledge of the contents of the crate delivered to him on May 6, 2009; and (2) the statutory scheme is constitutional.1 Accordingly, we affirm.
The standard of review for the admission of Williams rule evidence is abuse of discretion. Santiago v. State, 70 So. 3d 720, 725 (Fla. 4th DCA 2011). Similar-fact evidence, or Williams rule evidence, is

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