Violation of Probation
On April 21, 2016, the Florida Supreme
Court granted review of the Second District Court of Appeals decision in Queior
v. State, 157 So.3d 370 (Fla. 2DCA 2015) on the issue of whether a Probation
Officer’s testimony that a probationer has failed a drug test administered by
the Probation Officer is competent, non-hearsay evidence for purposes of
proving a violation of probation.
In Queior, the State sought to revoke the defendant’s probation of the basis of a positive drug test. At the hearing on the violation of probation, the State offered testimony from the defendant’s probation officer that they personally administered the drug test and that the test read positive. The defense objected to the testimony claiming that the State had failed to lay the proper predicate to establish the reliability of the field drug test. The trial court revoked the defendant’s probation.
The defendant appealed, and the Second District Court of Appeal reversed the trial court’s revocation on the grounds that the probation officer’s testimony was not competent, non-hearsay evidence. The Florida Supreme Court held that a probation officer’s testimony that a probationer has failed a field drug test administered by the probation officer is competent, non-hearsay testimony and can be relied upon in a revocation hearing.
In Queior, the State sought to revoke the defendant’s probation of the basis of a positive drug test. At the hearing on the violation of probation, the State offered testimony from the defendant’s probation officer that they personally administered the drug test and that the test read positive. The defense objected to the testimony claiming that the State had failed to lay the proper predicate to establish the reliability of the field drug test. The trial court revoked the defendant’s probation.
The defendant appealed, and the Second District Court of Appeal reversed the trial court’s revocation on the grounds that the probation officer’s testimony was not competent, non-hearsay evidence. The Florida Supreme Court held that a probation officer’s testimony that a probationer has failed a field drug test administered by the probation officer is competent, non-hearsay testimony and can be relied upon in a revocation hearing.
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