In re T.C. CA5

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 26, 2023
DocketF084799
StatusUnpublished

This text of In re T.C. CA5 (In re T.C. CA5) 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 T.C. CA5, (Cal. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

Filed 10/26/23 In re T.C. CA5

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

In re T.C., a Person Coming Under the Juvenile Court Law.

THE PEOPLE, F084799

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Super. Ct. No. 21JL-00068-A)

v. OPINION T.C.,

Defendant and Appellant.

THE COURT* APPEAL from an order of the Superior Court of Merced County. Mark V. Bacciarini, Judge. Richard M. Oberto, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Michael P. Farrell, Assistant Attorney General, Kenneth N. Sokoler and Sean M. McCoy, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. -ooOoo-

* Before Franson, Acting P. J., Peña, J. and Meehan, J. T.C. appeals from the juvenile court’s order of wardship following a true finding that T.C. committed misdemeanor sexual battery by restraint (Pen. Code, § 243.4, subd. (a))1 and misdemeanor false imprisonment (§ 236). T.C. contends: (1) there is insufficient evidence to support a finding that he committed sexual battery by restraint; (2) the probation condition requiring submission of his electronic devices to search and seizure was unreasonable and unconstitutionally overbroad; and (3) if objection to the probation condition was forfeited for failure to object before the juvenile court, defense counsel provided ineffective assistance of counsel. The People respond that: (1) there is substantial evidence T.C. touched an intimate part of the victim through her clothing to support the finding that he committed sexual battery; (2) T.C. forfeited objection to the probation condition regarding his electronic devices by failing to object at sentencing; and (3) if challenge to the probation condition is not forfeited, the probation condition is reasonable because it serves the court’s rehabilitative goals, or, alternatively, if the condition appears facially overbroad, it can be narrowly tailored. We agree the evidence was insufficient to support a finding of sexual battery by restraint, but there was sufficient evidence T.C. committed misdemeanor sexual battery (§ 243.4, subd. (e)). We will therefore modify the sexual battery finding on that count. We otherwise affirm.

PROCEDURAL SUMMARY

On August 9, 2021, the Merced County District Attorney filed a juvenile wardship petition alleging that T.C. committed: felony sexual battery by restraint (§ 243.4, subd. (a); count 1); and misdemeanor false imprisonment (§ 236; count 2) against a single victim, A.S.

1 All further statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise indicated.

2. On April 22, 2022, the juvenile court commenced a jurisdictional proceeding. After the prosecution rested, T.C.’s counsel moved to dismiss the counts. The court denied the motion. On May 11, 2022, the juvenile court found true both allegations of the petition but found the allegation for count 1 to be true as a misdemeanor. On June 17, 2022, T.C. was adjudged a ward of the court and placed under the supervision of the probation department. The order included a condition that T.C. must submit to a search of all electronic devices. T.C. filed a timely notice of appeal.

FACTUAL SUMMARY

I. Prosecution Evidence A.S. was best friends with T.C.’s sister, G.C. On April 19, 2021, A.S. and G.C. walked from school to G.C.’s family’s house. T.C. drove G.C. with A.S. to G.C.’s softball game, and then T.C. and A.S. returned to the family’s house. A.S. went to G.C.’s bedroom after they returned. There was no one else in the house besides A.S. and T.C. T.C. came to G.C.’s room and asked A.S. to kiss him. A.S. told him “ ‘No.’ ” A.S. was sitting up against the headboard on G.C.’s bed. T.C. leaned over the bed kissing A.S. on her face and neck. A.S. told T.C. “ ‘No.’ ” T.C. said “ ‘Come on. Just kiss me.’ ” T.C. left the room. T.C. came back to G.C.’s room about an hour later wearing a different shirt. A.S. was sitting on G.C.’s bed and T.C. sat on the edge of the bed. T.C. began touching A.S.’s stomach and legs. T.C. grabbed both of A.S.’s legs to pull her closer to him and pulled his shorts down. T.C. put his penis between A.S.’s legs and started thrusting while A.S. was still clothed. T.C.’s penis touched A.S.’s “private area” through her jeans. A.S. said “ ‘No’ ” to T.C. A.S. testified that T.C.’s penis touched A.S.’s stomach when he was trying to put his penis between her legs. A.S. was pushing T.C. off her and telling him

3. “ ‘No.’ ” T.C. left the room, calling A.S. a “[s]lut and hoe” as he left. A.S. used her cell phone to record seven videos of the exchanges with T.C. that afternoon. These videos were admitted as evidence. Later that day, A.S. told G.C. and T.C.’s mother, M.C., what happened. A.S. told M.C. and G.C. that she had videos of T.C. G.C. and M.C. asked A.S. to delete the videos because they could hurt T.C.’s football career. A.S. did not tell her parents until months later. A.S. reported the incident with T.C. to law enforcement in June 2021. A.S. had previously complained to G.C. via text message in March 2021 that T.C. was harassing her, asking A.S. to kiss him and give him oral sex. G.C. responded to A.S., “ ‘Just tell him no.’ ” II. Defense Evidence Former Dos Palos Police Department Deputy Omar Mondragon was the investigating officer for the allegations against T.C. Mondragon spoke with A.S. and reviewed the videos provided by A.S. He confirmed all the videos were dated April 19, 2021, with timestamps of 1:19 p.m. on four of the videos and 3:10 p.m. on the other three videos. T.C.’s mother, M.C., testified that she learned about A.S.’s allegations against T.C. on June 3, 2021. She denied that A.S. told her that T.C. “did something inappropriate to her” before then. T.C. testified that on April 19, 2021, he drove G.C. to her softball game with A.S. After T.C. dropped off G.C., T.C. asked A.S. if she wanted to go back to her house but she wanted to go back to T.C.’s family’s house. T.C. asked A.S. if she wanted to give him “a blow job.” A.S. said yes and performed oral sex on T.C. in his room. Later that day, T.C. went to G.C.’s room. He asked A.S. if she wanted to give him another “blow job.” T.C. started kissing A.S. He denied that he ever pulled his pants down. T.C. also denied that he “w[as] dry-humping her” or put his penis on her stomach.

4. He conceded that he did not stop kissing A.S. immediately when she said “ ‘No.’ ” T.C. testified that A.S. had given him oral sex prior to April 19.

DISCUSSION

I. Sufficiency of the Evidence T.C. contends the evidence is insufficient to support a finding that he committed sexual battery by restraint. A. Additional Background After closing arguments, the juvenile court discussed its finding regarding count 1: “And all of the evidence that was moved into evidence, with respect to [c]ount 1, the [c]ourt does find that the allegation is true beyond a reasonable doubt, that the sexual battery by restraint was, in fact, committed on or about June 3rd, by the minor, [T.C.]. [¶] And the court bases its verdict on the following things: [¶] Number one, the video doesn’t lie as to what happened. There was clearly unwanted contact, and it was clearly of a sexual nature by [T.C.]’s own testimony. He testified that he went in that room to seek a blow job, and therefore, the [c]ourt finds that that battery was committed for the purposes of sexual gratification, arousal, or abuse. [¶] With respect to the degree of the offense, again, the videotape doesn’t lie.

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In re T.C. CA5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-tc-ca5-calctapp-2023.