In re Alexander T. CA1/4

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 27, 2015
DocketA136173
StatusUnpublished

This text of In re Alexander T. CA1/4 (In re Alexander T. CA1/4) 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
In re Alexander T. CA1/4, (Cal. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

Filed 2/27/15 In re Alexander T. CA1/4 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FIRST APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION FOUR

In re Alexander T., a Person Coming Under the Juvenile Court Law. THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. ALEXANDER T., A136173 Defendant and Appellant. (Napa County Super. Ct. No. JV16982)

Alexander T., a minor, appeals from an order of wardship entered pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code section 602, subdivision (a), following the juvenile court’s finding that he committed felony forcible rape (Pen. Code, § 261, subd. (a)(2)). Alexander contends on appeal that the juvenile court erroneously imposed four conditions of probation that are unconstitutionally vague or overbroad and/or unreasonable under the standard articulated by the California Supreme Court in People v. Lent (1975) 15 Cal.3d 481 (Lent), abrogated by Proposition 8 on another ground as explained in People v. Wheeler (1992) 4 Cal.4th 284, 290-292. The People concede that two of the probation conditions at issue may properly be modified. We agree and modify those probation conditions, but otherwise affirm the judgment.

1 I. BACKGROUND Alexander T.’s parents were never married. He lived primarily with his mother, and had no real contact with his father until he was nine years old. Jane Doe is the adoptive daughter of father and father’s ex-wife.1 Jane is the biological child of father’s cousin. Father and his then-wife agreed to adopt Jane because the cousin was going to prison and could not care for her. Thus, Jane is both Alexander’s biological cousin and his adoptive half-sister, a family relationship that father explained to Alexander and Jane. The two minors, however, were never raised as siblings in the same household. Rather, after father and his wife divorced, Jane lived primarily with her adoptive mother while Alexander continued to reside in the home of his mother. Alexander and Jane met for the first time in the summer of 2009 and saw each other only when they visited their father. Both described their relationship as that of a brother and sister. In December 2010, Jane was 14 years old and Alexander was 15 years old. At that time, Jane visited with her father every Monday, Tuesday, and the third Sunday of each month. Alexander also visited father on certain Mondays and Tuesdays, sometimes spending the night on the couch. He estimated that between December 2010 and the first time he met Jane, they saw each other at their father’s house approximately 15 to 20 times. According to Jane, both she and Alexander were visiting the home of their father on December 6, 2010, a Monday. After picking Jane up from school, father went to work, leaving both minors with his girlfriend. Jane reported doing her homework and spending some time watching television and “hanging out” with Alexander before having dinner. Thereafter, she watched more television and then went to bed at approximately 9:30 p.m., closing her bedroom door. Around 10:00 p.m., she overheard father’s girlfriend tell Alexander that she was going to pick up father at work. Shortly thereafter, Alexander entered Jane’s bedroom uninvited, pushed her down on the bed, pinned down her arms, and covered her mouth when she started to cry. Despite her attempts to “get

1 We refer to the victim in this matter as Jane Doe, both to protect her privacy and because the use of her first name or initials in this particular case might cause confusion.

2 him off of me,” Alexander forcibly raped her. He did not use a condom and ejaculated in her vagina. Afterwards, Jane was able to push Alexander out of her room. As he left, he told Jane “not to say anything.” After the incident, Jane needed a sanitary pad to stem her vaginal bleeding. Initially, Jane did not tell anyone what happened that night, stating that she did not like “getting in trouble” and was “scared.” However, on December 31, 2010, Jane finally did disclose to her mother that she had been sexually assaulted by Alexander. When confronted by his father and Jane’s mother the next day, Alexander denied raping his half-sister. Alexander was also interviewed at the Napa Police Department on January 1, 2011. Again, he denied the sexual assault and maintained that there would be no DNA evidence that could tie him to the alleged incident. On February 17, 2011—while providing a DNA sample—Alexander continued to deny any sexual contact with Jane. However, in October 2011, DNA analysis confirmed Alexander as the source of the semen stains found on the shorts Jane wore on the night of the rape. On January 3, 2012, the Napa County District Attorney’s office (District Attorney) filed a wardship petition pursuant to section 602 of the Welfare and Institutions Code alleging that Alexander had forcibly raped Jane in violation of Penal Code section 261, subdivision (a)(2). At the initial hearing in this matter on January 23, 2012, Alexander was ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from Jane and have no contact with her through “phone calls, text messages, emails, Facebook contacts” or otherwise. After a number of continuances, a contested jurisdictional hearing was held on May 15, 2012. At the contested hearing, Jane testified that the rape occurred on December 6, 2010, as previously described. Alexander, in contrast, testified that he did not rape Jane. Although he admitted for the first time that the two minors had engaged in sexual activity on December 6, Alexander claimed that Jane had initiated the sexual contact and that he was just a passive participant. Alexander further testified that he had previously lied to both his family and to the investigating officer about the circumstances of the case. At the conclusion of the hearing, the juvenile court sustained the allegation of forcible rape, finding Jane’s version of events to be the more consistent and credible.

3 A dispositional hearing was held on July 9, 2012, at which the District Attorney requested that Alexander be committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice (formerly known as the California Youth Authority) due to the severity of his offense. Probation, in contrast, recommended out-of-home placement for the minor in a residential program offering sex offender treatment. Finally, Alexander’s attorney argued in favor of in-home placement and services. Numerous letters were submitted in support of Alexander, attesting to his good character, his academic achievement, and his many community-based activities such as 4-H, tutoring, and peer court. Indeed, the juvenile court acknowledged that it had not “seen anything negative about Alex except this act he performed on [Jane] on this day.” In addition, assessment tools used by Probation indicated that Alexander’s overall risk for reoffense was low. However, Alexander continued to deny that he had sexually assaulted Jane, submitting a letter to the court stating: “I’m sorry Judge Stone did not believe in what I had to say.” Ultimately, indicating that it did not find Alexander credible and concerned about the severity of the offense and the minor’s lack of remorse, the juvenile court adjudged the minor a ward and removed him from his mother’s home, with contemplated placement to be in a residential treatment program. In addition, the juvenile court imposed numerous conditions of probation, including the requirement that Alexander engage in sex offender treatment. Among the other probation conditions imposed, the juvenile court ordered Alexander to comply with the following restrictions. Condition No.

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Related

People v. Lent
541 P.2d 545 (California Supreme Court, 1975)
People v. Wheeler
841 P.2d 938 (California Supreme Court, 1992)
People v. Lopez
78 Cal. Rptr. 2d 66 (California Court of Appeal, 1998)
People v. Victor L.
182 Cal. App. 4th 902 (California Court of Appeal, 2010)
People v. Shaun R.
188 Cal. App. 4th 1129 (California Court of Appeal, 2010)
In Re Justin S.
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People v. Vincent G.
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People v. Turner
66 Cal. Rptr. 3d 803 (California Court of Appeal, 2007)
In Re Walter P.
170 Cal. App. 4th 95 (California Court of Appeal, 2009)
People v. Olguin
198 P.3d 1 (California Supreme Court, 2008)
People v. Welch
5 Cal. 4th 228 (California Supreme Court, 1993)
People v. D.G.
187 Cal. App. 4th 47 (California Court of Appeal, 2010)
People v. E.O.
188 Cal. App. 4th 1149 (California Court of Appeal, 2010)
People v. Sean A.
191 Cal. App. 4th 182 (California Court of Appeal, 2010)
People v. Patel
196 Cal. App. 4th 956 (California Court of Appeal, 2011)
People v. Moses
199 Cal. App. 4th 374 (California Court of Appeal, 2011)

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Bluebook (online)
In re Alexander T. CA1/4, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-alexander-t-ca14-calctapp-2015.