In re Christopher S. CA1/1

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 13, 2016
DocketA145557
StatusUnpublished

This text of In re Christopher S. CA1/1 (In re Christopher S. CA1/1) 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 Christopher S. CA1/1, (Cal. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

Filed 6/13/16 In re Christopher S. CA1/1 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 TWO

In re CHRISTOPHER S., a Person Coming Under the Juvenile Court Law.

THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. A145557 CHRISTOPHER S., (Solano County Defendant and Appellant. Super. Ct. No. J41873)

Christopher S. (Christopher) appeals from a dispositional order of the juvenile court committing him to the Division of Juvenile Justice (Division). He argues that the order should be reversed because the juvenile court abused its discretion by committing him to the Division without adequately considering his mental health and special education needs. In the alternative, he argues that the matter should be remanded for the juvenile court to make findings about his educational needs and forward those findings to the Division. He also argues that we should strike probation conditions imposed on him by the juvenile court because the court lacked authority to impose such conditions after he was committed to the Division. We will strike the probation conditions and affirm the dispositional order in all other respects.

1 FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND A. Christopher’s History of Delinquency and Probation The dispositional order challenged in this appeal was issued in June 2015 after Christopher was found to have violated a condition of his probation. Christopher was then 17 years old, and had an extensive history with the juvenile court and the probation department. Because his history informed the juvenile court’s order, we summarize it here in some detail. 1. Wardship Petition Filed in February 2013 In February 2013, the Solano County District Attorney filed a wardship petition pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code1 section 602, subdivision (a), alleging that Christopher, then age 14, committed attempted first degree residential burglary, a serious felony (Pen. Code, §§ 459, 664, 1192.7, subd. (c)) and petty theft (Pen. Code, § 484, subd. (a)). The allegations arose from separate incidents about a week apart.2 Christopher admitted both counts and was granted Deferred Entry of Judgment (DEJ) with various terms and conditions. 2. Amended Wardship Petition filed in March 2013 In March 2013, the district attorney filed an amended wardship petition alleging that just six days after being granted DEJ, Christopher committed battery on school property (Pen. Code, § 243.2, subd. (a)). Christopher admitted that he had punched a fellow student in the head twice. He remained on DEJ. 3. Second and Third Amended Wardship Petitions Filed in July 2013 In July 2013, the district attorney filed a second amended wardship petition alleging that Christopher committed grand theft from a person (Pen. Code, § 487, subd. (c)). Christopher stole a cell phone from a woman who was standing in her front yard,

1 All further unspecified statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code. 2 The probation department’s intake report stated that apart from these two charges Christopher had four previous referrals in the past four months, for battery, felony theft and resisting arrest.

2 and admitted that he stole the phone to sell it because he “needed some weed and some coke.” Christopher remained on DEJ. Later that month, the district attorney filed a third amended wardship petition alleging second degree robbery (Pen. Code, § 211), assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury (Pen. Code, § 245, subd. (a)(4)), battery with serious bodily injury (Pen. Code, § 243, subd. (d)), and attempted carjacking (Pen. Code, §§ 215, subd. (a); 664). According to the police report, Christopher had approached a woman who was sitting in her car with the door open and tried to sell her a camera. She said she had no money and looked toward her purse, at which point Christopher grabbed her, pulled her by the hair, punched her, pulled her out of the car and threw her to the ground. When she tried to run away, he chased her and punched her again, knocking her down, and then kicked her. Christopher then was seen by a witness sitting in the driver’s seat of the victim’s car, apparently trying to start the car with a knife or screwdriver. Christopher was chased away by a witness, and detained by police nearby. In the area where he was detained, police found a Walmart card and two watches, one of which belonged to the victim. The probation department reported that Christopher was detained at juvenile hall, where he positive for cocaine, amphetamines, and THC. In August 2013, in exchange for dismissal of the remaining counts in the previous petitions, Christopher admitted second degree robbery on condition that it would not be used as a strike. 4. Disposition and Probation - August 2013 through July 2014 In advance of the dispositional hearing, the probation department reported that Christopher admitted he had a problem with cocaine and marijuana, and that he said alcohol and ecstasy were not a problem for him, although he used them when they were available. The probation department summarized Christopher’s performance on probation to date as “unsatisfactory,” noting that he had failed to appear for the first three sessions of an anger management program and was dropped from the program, that he had behavior problems at school, and that although he tested negative on random drug tests in the early period after he was granted DEJ, he subsequently began using ecstasy and cocaine on a regular basis.

3 At the dispositional hearing in August 2013, Christopher was adjudged a ward of the court, and placed on probation consisting of 120 days in the “Changing Paths” program at juvenile hall, followed by participation in the “New Foundations” program. The probation department reported that Christopher did “very well” in the Changing Paths program, but “struggled” toward the end of the New Foundations program, as evidenced by fighting and by taking Vicodin while on furlough. As a result, his time in New Foundations was extended. In May 2014, Christopher completed New Foundations and was released on home probation, subject to various terms and conditions. A month after his release from New Foundations, Christopher reported to his probation officer that he was using marijuana. Christopher, his mother, and the probation officer agreed that Christopher would begin a chemical dependency recovery program, and Christopher was informed that if his use of marijuana continued, a notice of probation violation would likely be filed. A month after that, in July 2014, the probation department filed a notice of probation violation, but for a different reason: the department alleged that Christopher had violated probation by being away from home for several days without permission. Christopher admitted the violation in exchange for being reinstated on probation with modified terms and conditions, including 60 days on an electronic monitoring program. At the dispositional hearing, Christopher’s counsel said, “And I should add, I informed [Christopher] that if there was another violation, they would be considering out-of-home placement. [The probation officer] didn’t think it was appropriate at this time, but in the future he would be at great risk for out-of-home placement, which I’ve also conveyed to him.” The juvenile court responded, “Well, I’m of the same mind. I don’t like to commit to something until I know what the circumstances are at the time, but I think that the message is that future violations are probably going to be dealt with in a significantly different manner.” 5.

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Bluebook (online)
In re Christopher S. CA1/1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-christopher-s-ca11-calctapp-2016.