Curtin v. Superior Court

189 P.2d 288, 83 Cal. App. 2d 461, 1948 Cal. App. LEXIS 1106
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 4, 1948
DocketCiv. No. 13719
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 189 P.2d 288 (Curtin v. Superior Court) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Curtin v. Superior Court, 189 P.2d 288, 83 Cal. App. 2d 461, 1948 Cal. App. LEXIS 1106 (Cal. Ct. App. 1948).

Opinions

BRAY, J.

Petitioner was charged jointly with one Howard Durham with the crime of robbery (violation of Pen. Code, § 211). At the preliminary examination both defendants were held to answer. The sole question presented here is whether the evidence showed probable cause of the guilt of the petitioner.

The sole witness was one George Caulfield. He testified that on Sunday night, October 12, 1947, he was in a certain bar in San Mateo County, and occupied a bar seat next to petitioner. She started a conversation with him by asking where he lived. After some conversation on other matters she mentioned that she had lived on a farm and was interested in horses. She suggested that he drive her to a place to which she had that day seen a car drive, with horses in back of it. She stated that she wanted to talk to the rancher and look over the place in general. "While in the bar, he noticed the defendant Durham sitting about 10 feet to his left where the bar made a right angle turn, so that Durham was facing him. Durham was staring at him, or at the person alongside of him. Petitioner mentioned the fact that she knew one individual in the barroom, but did not indicate who he was, nor did she indicate Durham. Caulfield and petitioner entered the former’s ear, and he drove up the highway and then up a dirt road for about 50 yards. It was very dark. Petitioner suggested that they walk from there over to a hill. Both got out of the car. Petitioner suggested leaving her purse and coat in the car, which she did. They walked about 200 yards from the car to the top of a knoll and stood there five to seven minutes looking at the lights in the distance. The road upon which they stopped the ear continued on, and two or three blocks up there was a ranch house. There were no lights in it, but lights from the distant airport reflected in its windows. They saw no horses. They turned back towards the car, and when about 50 yards from it, Caulfield saw someone approaching in the dark. It was too dark for him to identify who was approaching. The man flashed a light in Caulfield’s eyes, and he then saw a gun next to the flashlight. The man said, “Stand where you are. ’ ’ Both petitioner and Caulfield raised their hands. The man ordered petitioner to take Caulfield’s wallet. Caulfield said that it was in his left rear pocket. Petitioner took the wallet out of his pocket. He asked the man to leave the wallet and take the money, and the man ordered petitioner [463]*463to take the money out of the wallet. This she did, throwing the money on the ground and returning the wallet to Caulfield. (Later he found that there was still $20 remaining in the wallet.) Apparently the amount taken was $30. The man told him to lower his hands a bit and told petitioner to take the watch off his left hand. The sleeve of his jacket covered the watch, and petitioner stated, “He has no watch.” Then petitioner found the watch, and either threw it on the ground or gave it to the man. He could not say whether or not the man ordered petitioner to make a further search for the watch before she found it. The man then asked petitioner where her purse was. When she told him, the man ordered her to go back to the car and get it. She walked back to the car, the man and Caulfield remaining where they were. After the first few steps, because of the darkness Caulfield could not see petitioner until he saw her leave the car with her purse and coat in her hand. This he saw because the car was silhouetted against the distant lights. On leaving the car she ran for about two or three steps and disappeared in the darkness. The man then ordered him to walk back to the car, the man following him. The man ordered him to get into the car and wait five minutes, and then started walking towards the highway. After waiting a minute and a half or so, he turned the car around, drove to the highway and then to the San Bruno police station. Three or four mornings later he identified defendant Durham as the man he saw in the bar, and, by his voice, as the man who held him up.

Section 872 of the Penal Code provides: “If, however, it appears from the examination that a public offense has been committed, and there is sufficient cause to believe the defendant guilty thereof” the magistrate must hold the defendant to answer. (Emphasis added.)

“ ‘Probable cause’ is a state of facts which inclines a man of ordinary prudence conscientiously to entertain a strong suspicion that a prisoner is guilty. (People v. Novell, 54 Cal.App.2d 621 [129 P.2d 453]; In re McCarty, 140 Cal.App. 473 [35 P.2d 568].)” (People v. Wisecarver, 67 Cal.App.2d 203 [153 P.2d 778].)

“It is said in Greenberg v. Superior Court, 19 Cal.2d 319, 322 [121 P.2d 713]:

“ ‘It has long been settled in most jurisdictions that an indictment is invalid if it is unsupported by any evidence [464]*464before the grand jury. (See cases collected in 59 A.L.R. 567.) If there .is some evidence to support the indictment the courts will not inquire into its sufficiency (see cases collected in 59 A.L.R. 573)

“It has long been settled that in the analogous ease of an information the evidence before the committing magistrate is not subject to the same test as that before a trial jury in a criminal case and probable cause may be found for the holding to answer although the evidence does not establish the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. All that is required is a reasonable probability of the defendant’s guilt. (People v. Mitchell, 27 Cal.2d 678, 681 [166 P.2d 10]; People v. Wisecarver, 67 Cal.App.2d 2Ó3, 209 [153 P.2d 778]; 7 Cal.Jur. 982.)

“The Supreme Court in Greenberg v. Superior Court, supra, did not explain whether it thought that the same rule should apply in the case of an indictment as in the case of an information. It at least indicated that no severer rule should be applied when it used the language above quoted.

“We are satisfied that the evidence against petitioner Stock if given before a committing magistrate would support an information. We must hold (quoting the language of the Greenberg case) that ‘there is some evidence to support the indictment.’ ” (Davis v. Superior Court, 78 Cal.App.2d 25 [177 P.2d 314].)

7 California Jurisprudence, page 982, section 120, states: “The term ‘sufficient cause’ used in section 872 of the Penal Code, means about the same as the term ‘reasonable and probable cause’ in the habeas corpus act. The term ‘probable’ has been defined to mean ‘having more evidence for than against; supported by evidence which inclines the mind to believe, yet leaves room for doubt.’ And the term ‘reasonable or probable cause’ has been defined to mean such a state of facts as would lead a man of ordinary caution and prudence to believe and conscientiously entertain a strong suspicion that the person accused is guilty.”

Does the evidence in this case meet the test of inclining “a man of ordinary prudence conscientiously to entertain a strong suspicion” (People v. Wisecarver, supra, p. 209) that petitioner is guilty? I think it does.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

People v. Thomas
203 P.2d 567 (California Court of Appeal, 1949)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
189 P.2d 288, 83 Cal. App. 2d 461, 1948 Cal. App. LEXIS 1106, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/curtin-v-superior-court-calctapp-1948.