(HC) Bazley v. CDCR

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedJuly 15, 2020
Docket2:15-cv-02673
StatusUnknown

This text of (HC) Bazley v. CDCR ((HC) Bazley v. CDCR) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
(HC) Bazley v. CDCR, (E.D. Cal. 2020).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 MICHAEL BAZLEY, No. 2:15-cv-2673 TLN AC 12 Petitioner, 13 v. ORDER AND FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 14 CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OFCORRECTIONS 15 ANDREHABILITATION, 16 Respondent.1 17 18 Petitioner is a former California state prisoner proceeding pro se with an application for a 19 writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. ECF No. 1. The petition challenges 20 petitioner’s 2015 convictions for identity theft, a notarization-related offense, and possession of 21

22 1 The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) will be substituted as 23 respondent. Petitioner was released from prison to parole during the pendency of this case. See ECF No. 21. “Under California law, ‘an inmate-turned-parolee remains in the legal custody of 24 the [CDCR] through the remainder of his term[.]’” Thomas v. Yates, 637 F. Supp. 2d 837, 841 (E.D. Cal. 2009) (quoting Samson v. California, 547 U.S. 843, 851 (2006)). A federal petition for 25 writ of habeas corpus must name as respondent the state officer or entity having custody of the 26 petitioner. See 28 U.S.C. § 2254; Rule 2(a) of the Rules Governing Section 2254 Cases in the United States District Courts; Smith v. Idaho, 392 F.3d 350, 354-55 (9th Cir. 2004); Stanley v. 27 California Supreme Court, 21 F.3d 359, 360 (9th Cir. 1994). If petitioner is no longer under the legal custody of CDCR, counsel for respondent shall so notify the court and shall request the 28 appropriate substitution. 1 ammunition by a felon. Respondent has answered, ECF No. 26, and petitioner has filed a 2 traverse, ECF No. 27. 3 BACKGROUND 4 I. Proceedings in the Trial Court 5 Following a probation search on March 26, 2014, petitioner was charged under two 6 separate case numbers in Sacramento Superior Court. Petitioner was charged in Case No. 7 14F02123 with the unlawful possession of ammunition, in violation of Cal. Penal Code § 8 3035(a)(1). ECF No. 26-1 at 53-54. Petitioner was charged in Case No. 14F02186 with identity 9 theft. The charges ultimately brought in that case were five counts of identity theft, in violation 10 of Cal. Penal Code § 530.5; and one count of making a false sworn statement to a notary public, 11 in violation of Cal. Penal Code §115.5(b). ECF No. 26-1 at 33-37. Four prior convictions were 12 alleged. Id. 13 A preliminary hearing was held on August 21, 2014. Evidence of the following facts was 14 presented. A probation search of petitioner’s car and apartment was conducted on March 26, 15 2014. The trunk of the vehicle contained a loaded firearm magazine. It was discovered that 16 petitioner was renting his apartment under the name Dennis Carroll, and the application 17 paperwork for the rental provided Dennis Carroll’s birth date and Social Security number. When 18 he rented the apartment, petitioner had presented a driver’s license that showed his own 19 photograph with Dennis Carroll’s name and personal identifying information. The apartment 20 contained personal information of several other individuals, and an AT&T bill in the name 21 Dennis Carroll. It was later determined that petitioner had opened the account using his own 22 address and phone number and Dennis Carroll’s name and personal identifying information. 23 Petitioner later wrote a letter to the apartment manager from jail, saying that he was really 24 Dennis Carroll but also used the name Michael Bazley. The letter asked the manager to let 25 petitioner’s wife into the apartment. The letter had been notarized. The notary had been told by 26 petitioner that he was Dennis Carroll. The real Dennis Carroll was located and reported that he 27 had been the victim of identity theft. He did not know petitioner and had not given him 28 permission to use his identity. Further investigation disclosed that petitioner had purchased 1 furniture on two different dates, using the personal identifying information of Dennis Carroll to 2 obtain credit. He had also attempted to open a bank account using Dennis Carroll’s identity. 3 ECF No. 26-1 at 66-95 (transcript of preliminary hearing). 4 On August 14, 2015, pursuant to a negotiated plea agreement that encompassed both 5 cases, petitioner entered no contest pleas to four counts. He pled no contest to unlawful 6 possession of ammunition in Case No. 14F02123, and in Case No. 14F02186 he pled no contest 7 to two counts of identity theft, and to making a false statement to a notary public. Three 8 additional counts of identity theft were dismissed. The agreement called for an aggregate 9 sentence of five years in prison. Sentence was imposed immediately upon the change of plea, 10 pursuant to the agreement. ECF No. 26-1 at 130-139 (transcript of change of plea hearing); id. at 11 114 (abstract of judgment). 12 II. Post-Conviction Proceedings 13 Petitioner timely appealed. Appointed counsel filed a Wende brief,2 and subsequently a 14 request for dismissal. ECF No. 26-1 at 143-148, 149-152. The California Court of Appeal 15 dismissed the appeal on April 6, 2016. ECF No. 26-1 at 153; Lodged Doc. 6 (lodged in paper). 16 Petitioner filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in the Superior Court of Sacramento 17 County on August 27, 2015. ECF No. 26-1 at 158-173; see also id. at 174 (Supplemental 18 Grounds for Relief filed August 31, 2015). The petition was denied by written order on 19 September 25, 2015. ECF No. 26-1 at 154-156. Petitioner next filed a habeas petition in the 20 California Court of Appeal, which was denied without comment or citation on October 29, 2015. 21 ECF No. 26-1 at 194. Petitioner then sought habeas review in the California Supreme Court, 22 which was denied on December 9, 2015. ECF No. 26-1 at 226. 23 The instant federal petition was docketed on December 28, 2015. ECF No. 1. On March 24 1, 2016, respondent filed a motion to dismiss Claim One on grounds that it failed to state a 25 cognizable claim for relief. ECF No. 11.3 The undersigned recommended that the motion be 26 2 People v. Wende, 25 Cal.3d 436 (1979). 27 3 Claim One alleged that petitioner’s conviction was unconstitutional because the vehicle search that led to the investigation and eventual charges was unreasonable in violation of the Fourth 28 Amendment. Such a claim may not be brought in habeas. Stone v. Powell, 428 U.S. 465 (1976). 1 granted, ECF No. 22, and the district judge adopted that recommendation, ECF No. 23. 2 Respondent subsequently filed an Answer addressing Claims Two and Three, ECF No. 26, and 3 petitioner filed a traverse, ECF No. 27. 4 STANDARDS GOVERNING HABEAS RELIEF UNDER THE AEDPA 5 28 U.S.C. § 2254, as amended by the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 6 1996 (“AEDPA”), provides in relevant part as follows: 7 (d) An application for a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of a person in custody pursuant to the judgment of a state court shall not be 8 granted with respect to any claim that was adjudicated on the merits in State court proceedings unless the adjudication of the claim – 9 (1) resulted in a decision that was contrary to, or involved an 10 unreasonable application of, clearly established Federal law, as determined by the Supreme Court of the United States; or 11 (2) resulted in a decision that was based on an unreasonable 12 determination of the facts in light of the evidence presented in the State court proceeding.

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(HC) Bazley v. CDCR, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hc-bazley-v-cdcr-caed-2020.