In Re Michael

178 Cal. App. 3d 159, 223 Cal. Rptr. 503
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 28, 1986
DocketA029437
StatusPublished

This text of 178 Cal. App. 3d 159 (In Re Michael) 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 Michael, 178 Cal. App. 3d 159, 223 Cal. Rptr. 503 (Cal. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinion

178 Cal.App.3d 159 (1986)
223 Cal. Rptr. 503

In re MICHAEL V., a Minor.
THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent,
v.
MICHAEL V., Defendant and Appellant.

Docket No. A029437.

Court of Appeals of California, First District, Division Four.

February 28, 1986.

*162 COUNSEL

Phillip H. Cherney, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant.

John K. Van de Kamp, Attorney General, and Robert R. Granucci, Deputy Attorney General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

[Opinion certified for partial publication.[*]]

OPINION

CHANNELL, J.

Michael V. (Michael), a minor, appeals from an order of the juvenile court continuing his status as a ward (Welf. & Inst. Code, *163 §§ 602, 777),[1] removing him from the custody of his parents (§ 726), and committing him to the Youth Authority (§ 731).

In this case of first impression,[2] we are called upon to decide whether a juvenile court judge may consider previously suppressed evidence during the disposition phase of a juvenile delinquency proceeding. Absent a statute to the contrary, we have concluded there is no constitutional bar, state or federal, to the consideration of such evidence at a disposition hearing. Indeed, the Arnold-Kennick Juvenile Court Law (§ 200 et seq.) expressly provides that the juvenile court "shall receive in evidence" such "relevant and material evidence as may be offered" on the question of the proper disposition to be made of the minor. (§ 706; see also § 725.5.) It was therefore proper for the juvenile court to consider at Michael's disposition hearing the fact that he was carrying three bindles of cocaine and $35 in currency when he was taken into custody, even though that same evidence had been ordered suppressed at an earlier stage in the juvenile proceedings. When considered with other evidence indicating the previous disposition had not been effective in rehabilitating Michael, we hold further that the juvenile court did not abuse its discretion in committing him to the Youth Authority. We therefore affirm the trial court's judgment.

I. PROCEDURAL FACTS

A. The Petitions

On August 30, 1984, separate petitions were filed against Michael pursuant to sections 602 and 777, respectively.[3] The section 602 petition alleged that Michael, on August 28, 1984, had possessed cocaine and had possessed cocaine for sale, in violation of Health and Safety Code sections 11350 and 11351. That same petition further alleged that based on these allegations, the previous disposition of the juvenile court had been ineffective in rehabilitating Michael, within the meaning of sections 726 and 777.

The section 777 supplemental petition alleged that Michael had last appeared before the juvenile court on February 9, 1984, when he was declared a ward under section 602 for having committed a robbery. (Pen. Code, *164 § 211.) It was further alleged that in February, he had been ordered, inter alia, to obey all laws, to spend 60 days in juvenile hall, to refrain from the use of alcohol and drugs, and to remain out of the Chinatown area in Salinas. Finally, the supplemental petition alleged that the previous court order had been ineffective in rehabilitating Michael in that "on August 28, 1984, he was arrested for possession of cocaine and possession of cocaine for sale on Soledad Street, [in] the Chinatown area."

B. Suppression and Jurisdiction Hearing

1. Suppression Motion

(1) (See fn. 5.) Following detention and "Dennis H." hearings,[4] the matter was set for a suppression hearing (§ 700.1)[5] and a jurisdiction hearing as to both petitions. At that time, the parties stipulated that both the suppression and the jurisdictional issues would be submitted on the police report; that the first full paragraph of the police report was to be considered for purposes of probable cause only; that the police officers had no search or arrest warrant; and that the controlled substance seized from Michael was cocaine.[6]

Briefly, the first paragraph of the police report (considered only on the probable cause issue) indicated that officers had received information that "a Mexican male adult, named Michael, between the age of 17 and 19 years of age" and wearing tan pants and a black leather jacket, was selling cocaine at a certain location in Chinatown. The police were told that the suspect kept bindles of what appeared to be cocaine in his jacket pocket.

*165 According to the remaining portion of the police report (considered on all issues), the officers were in the Chinatown area, they approached Michael (who fit the general description given) and asked him if he had anything on him. Michael raised his arms away from his side and said nothing. The officer reached into Michael's left front pocket and found a bindle containing a white powder substance, which appeared to be cocaine. After taking Michael into custody for possession of cocaine, the officer searched Michael further and found two more bindles of cocaine and $35 in currency. After being advised of his rights, Michael acknowledged he had been dealing in cocaine for two weeks, but refused to give investigators specific information as to the supplier of his cocaine.

At the suppression hearing, Michael challenged the admissibility of the cocaine bindles and currency found on him, as well as his later statements. Michael's motion to suppress was granted.[7]

2. Jurisdictional Findings

Following its suppression ruling, the juvenile court judge found that none of the allegations in the section 602 petition were true. Referring to the section 777 supplemental petition, the judge noted that the allegations "just said [Michael] was arrested with possession of cocaine on Soledad Street in the Chinatown area, so that does indicate a violation of [a] condition of probation as to where he was located." He therefore found the allegations of the supplemental petition to be true. The matter was then set for a disposition hearing.

C. Disposition Hearing

Before the disposition hearing, a probation report was prepared (see §§ 280, 702; rule 1371(b)), which included within it a discussion of the circumstances of the violation on August 28, including references to the cocaine and currency previously ordered suppressed. The judge began the disposition hearing by indicating he had read the probation report and by stating his tentative views of the case: "I will tell you frankly, I think it calls for Youth Authority." As one of his reasons,[8] the judge stated, "I just think that anybody who is involved in a robbery [referring to Michael's prior offense] and then is down in this — in the Chinatown area where he was told not to be, he lives close by, but he was told not to be in the area, *166 with three bindles of cocaine and a hundred [sic] dollars on him,[[9]] he is giving us a message loud and clear. [¶] Now, having said that, I will be willing to have all kinds of arguments to the contrary to show why it shouldn't happen."

After defense counsel objected, the judge continued the matter so counsel could research and prepare points and authorities as to whether or not the suppressed evidence could be considered when determining a proper disposition. The court subsequently ordered Michael committed to the Youth Authority.

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178 Cal. App. 3d 159, 223 Cal. Rptr. 503, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-michael-calctapp-1986.