People v. Adame

337 P.2d 477, 169 Cal. App. 2d 587, 1959 Cal. App. LEXIS 2113
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 13, 1959
DocketCrim. 2919
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 337 P.2d 477 (People v. Adame) 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
People v. Adame, 337 P.2d 477, 169 Cal. App. 2d 587, 1959 Cal. App. LEXIS 2113 (Cal. Ct. App. 1959).

Opinion

VAN DYKE, P. J.

In an information filed on February 25, 1958, the appellant, Baymond Adame, was accused of the crime of possessing marijuana (two counts), in violation of section 11500 of the Health and Safety Code, alleged to have been committed on the 22d day of January, 1958. Count Three of the information charged sale of marijuana on the same date. Appellant was also charged with a prior conviction of possession of marijuana and with having served a term in a California state prison therefor. On February 23, 1958, counsel was appointed for him by the court. His case was consolidated for trial with the cases of the defendants, Armando Garcia, Bichard Lee Ingle, and Ingle’s wife, Sondra. Appellant was arraigned on March 7, 1958. His counsel moved for a continuance of one week, requesting that other counsel be appointed. The motion was denied. Appellant *591 entered a plea of not guilty to all three counts and denied his prior conviction. The cause came to trial on May 22d, at which time it was ordered that counsel be relieved of his appointment, as appellant desired to proceed in propria persona.

Since one of the contentions of appellant is that the judgment should be reversed because of a violation of his constitutional rights to representation by counsel, we will first consider this assignment. On February 23d, two days before the filing of the information, Mr. Bareroft, an experienced member of the bar, who had once been a district attorney, was appointed to represent appellant and his codefendant Ingle. It appears that there had been some dissatisfaction on the part of appellant and Ingle with Mr. Bareroft’s representation, and five days before the trial was to begin they had told him that they did not want him to try their case. This impelled him, at the opening of the trial, to bring the matter before the court and the following occurred:

“Mb. Barcroft : If the Court please, there is a preliminary matter that should be taken up at this time. Last Saturday I visited with the Defendants Raymond Adame and Richard Lee Ingle with a view to discussing trial preparation, and they then and there informed me definitely that they no longer wanted me connected with their defense and that, alternatively, rather than have my continued representation, they would defend themselves. At this time, in order that they may take over their own defense, as they have indicated to be their desire, I ask the Court to relieve me from any responsibility which I may have incurred by virtue of having be°n
assigned to their defense.
<<
“The Court: All right, gentlemen, you have heard the statement of Mr. Bareroft. What have you to say?
“Defendant Adame: Tour Honor, the reason we are going to act as our own attorneys is because of being held in the County Jail for a period of four months. We have attempted to have another attorney prior to this time—we tried—we told the court we wanted another attorney, because Mr. Bar-croft felt he couldn’t handle our case and it would prejudice him by asking us to go on with the Court and asking us to plead guilty to the charge. So, at this time, I would like to go ahead with the trial if you would appoint us an advisor.
“The Court: I am in no position to provide you with an advisor at this late date. This Court has previously appointed *592 Mr. Barcroft to represent you. I have known Mr. Bareroft for twenty-five years. I know him as an able, conscientious, well-informed attorney, possessed of more than average, or more than ordinary ability. I know of no man who could defend you any better than Mr. Bareroft. This is not a case where the Court has appointed an inexperienced young lawyer just out of school. Rather, the Court, I think, has used excellent judgment to protect the rights of a Defendant in appointing Mr. Barcroft to represent you. Now, you have the right to represent yourselves if you desire. You have a right to counsel at, all stages of the proceedings if you haven’t sufficient funds with which to employ counsel. You have made, that statement, apparently, at the time of your arraignment, that you hadn’t sufficient money, and the Court then, in co'm.pliance with your request and in accordance with the rules, to afford you all the rights granted you under the Constitution, appointed Mr. Barcroft. Now, if you are dissatisfied with Mr. Barcroft and this case is ready for trial and you want to try this case yourselves, that is perfectly all right with me. But, if that situation should develop, I am not going to act as your attorney. If you elect to represent yourselves, you will be bound by the same rules of conduct we expect and demand from every attorney. You must be familiar with the rules of evidence, and if the questions you ask are improper or improperly asked, they will not be permitted to be answered. . Now, whatever you want to do is entirely up to. yourselves. There is an old, old saying that ‘he who acts as his own attorney has a fool for a client, ’ and while it is an old saying, I think it is a true saying. Now, if you fellows., both of you, feel that this is a simple matter and that you are well equipped to try your own cases without any legal background, that is a decision you are going to have to make.
“Defendant Richard Ingle: Your Honor, we knew Mr. Barcroft was not going to handle the case and we requested the District Attorney’s office if they would possibly let us look at some of the law books and become familiar with some of the things we should know in this type of trial. We know it’s a very serious charge, and with Mr. Barcroft handling the ease we did not feel our story would come out the true way.
‘ ‘ The Court : Mr. Barcroft, the statement has been made by these Defendants that you desire to withdraw from this case. Did.you make application to withdraw from this case prior to your statement to the Court here ?
“.Mr. Barcroft: No, Your Honor, I have never made any *593 application to withdraw following my assignment. At the time I was assigned, I suggested that the Defendants would probably feel better satisfied if other counsel were assigned, biit Judge Siseho at that time said it was up to me to accept this appointment, which Í have done.
11 The Court : I appreciate you have.
“Mr. Barcroft I have never endeavored to withdraw since, and I was ready to represent the Defendants to the best of my ability up to last Saturday. Since that time, of course, it is evident that any further relationship between us is going to be distasteful to all of us.
‘ ‘ The Court : I appreciate the position you are in, but by the same token, in a Courtroom full of prospective Jurors,— I am down here on an ássignment myself— I am not'going to continue this matter. At the time I set this case for trial when I was here, I believe it was in April, possibly it was in March— we set the date in your presence and in the presence of Mr. Chandler. [Mr. Chandler was counsel for Mrs. Ingle.] No objection was made at that time, either to counsel or to the selection of the date. You were ready to proceed. Now, you can either have Mr. Barcroft, or you can represent yourselves.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
337 P.2d 477, 169 Cal. App. 2d 587, 1959 Cal. App. LEXIS 2113, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-adame-calctapp-1959.