People v. Arcenio V.

141 Cal. App. 4th 613, 46 Cal. Rptr. 3d 232, 2006 Daily Journal DAR 9495, 2006 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 6631, 2006 Cal. App. LEXIS 1095
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 20, 2006
DocketNo. B186990
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 141 Cal. App. 4th 613 (People v. Arcenio V.) 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. Arcenio V., 141 Cal. App. 4th 613, 46 Cal. Rptr. 3d 232, 2006 Daily Journal DAR 9495, 2006 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 6631, 2006 Cal. App. LEXIS 1095 (Cal. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

Opinion

TURNER, P. J.

The minor, Arcenio V., appeals the October 26, 2005 wardship order (Welf. & Inst. Code, § 602) and placement in a camp community placement program. The juvenile court sustained the allegations of a petition filed October 4, 2005, charging the minor with single counts of firearm possession (Pen. Code,1 § 12101, subd. (a)(1)) and live ammunition possession by a minor. (§ 12101, subd. (b)(1).) The minor argues there was insufficient evidence to support his conviction for possession of live ammunition. We agree. We reverse the jurisdictional order in part.

[615]*615We view the evidence in a light most favorable to the judgment. (Jackson v. Virginia (1979) 443 U.S. 307, 319 [61 L.Ed.2d 560, 99 S.Ct. 2781]; People v. Elliot (2005) 37 Cal.4th 453, 466 [35 Cal.Rptr.3d 759, 122 P.3d 968]; People v. Osband (1996) 13 Cal.4th 622, 690 [55 Cal.Rptr.2d 26, 919 P.2d 640]; Taylor v. Stainer (9th Cir. 1994) 31 F.3d 907, 908-909; see also In re Cheri T (1999) 70 Cal.App.4th 1400, 1404 [83 Cal.Rptr.2d 397]; In re Babak S. (1993) 18 Cal.App.4th 1077, 1088-1089 [22 Cal.Rptr.2d 893] [standard of proof is the same in juvenile proceedings as that required in adult criminal trials]; In re Jose R. (1982) 137 Cal.App.3d 269, 275 [186 Cal.Rptr. 898] [same].) At approximately 4:55 p.m. on October 1, 2005, Los Angeles Police Officer Benjamin Jones was driving in an alley. Officer Jones saw the minor and two other young men move from the front of a utility cabinet to hide behind a green metal trash bin. The minor had been facing the utility cabinet while the two other youngsters faced different directions. Officer Jones knew that the minor and one of the other young men were on probation. Officer Jones and other officers detained and handcuffed the minor and the two youngsters. Officer Jones saw another officer look inside the utility cabinet. The other officer found two handguns and a black bag that contained marijuana and a glass pipe. The minor was advised of his constitutional rights. Thereafter, the minor waived his rights and agreed to speak with Officer Jones. The minor told Officer Jones, “All I did was play with [the gun].” The minor said he did not know who owned the gun but they had just been passing it back and forth. Officer Jones unloaded the ammunition from the gun’s magazine and booked the bullets into evidence.

There is no substantial evidence to support the minor’s conviction for possessing live ammunition. In reviewing a challenge of the sufficiency of the evidence, we apply the following standard of review: “[We] consider the evidence in a light most favorable to the judgment and presume the existence of every fact the trier could reasonably deduce from the evidence in support of the judgment. The test is whether substantial evidence supports the decision, not whether the evidence proves guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.” (People v. Mincey (1992) 2 Cal.4th 408, 432 [6 Cal.Rptr.2d 822, 827 P.2d 388], fn. omitted; see People v. Hayes (1990) 52 Cal.3d 577, 631 [276 Cal.Rptr. 874, 802 P.2d 376]; People v. Johnson (1980) 26 Cal.3d 557, 576 [162 Cal.Rptr. 431, 606 P.2d 738]; see also People v. Gurule (2002) 28 Cal.4th 557, 630 [123 Cal.Rptr.2d 345, 51 P.3d 224].) Our sole function is to determine if any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. (Jackson v. Virginia, supra, 443 U.S. at pp. 318-319; Taylor v. Stainer, supra, 31 F.3d at pp. 908-909; People v. Moon (2005) 37 Cal.4th 1, 22 [32 Cal.Rptr.3d 894, 117 P.3d 591]; People v. Bolin (1998) 18 Cal.4th 297, 331 [75 Cal.Rptr.2d 412, 956 P.2d 374].) The standard of review is the same in cases where the prosecution relies primarily on circumstantial evidence. (People v. Rodriguez (1999) 20 Cal.4th 1, 11 [82 [616]*616Cal.Rptr.2d 413, 971 P.2d 618]; People v. Stanley (1995) 10 Cal.4th 764, 792 [42 Cal.Rptr.2d 543, 897 P.2d 481]; People v. Bloom (1989) 48 Cal.3d 1194, 1208 [259 Cal.Rptr. 669, 774 P.2d 698]; People v. Bean (1988) 46 Cal.3d 919, 932 [251 Cal.Rptr. 467, 760 P.2d 996].) The California Supreme Court has held, “Reversal on this ground is unwarranted unless it appears ‘that upon no hypothesis whatever is there sufficient substantial evidence to support [the conviction].’ ” (People v. Bolin, supra, 18 Cal.4th at p. 331, quoting People v. Redmond (1969) 71 Cal.2d 745, 755 [79 Cal.Rptr. 529, 457 P.2d 321]; see also People v. Hughes (2002) 27 Cal.4th 287, 370 [116 Cal.Rptr.2d 401, 39 P.3d 432].)

We agree with the minor there is insufficient circumstantial evidence the rounds were “live” within the meaning of section 12101, subdivision (b)(1).2 There was no direct or opinion testimony that the rounds were live. Rather, citing the majority decision in the case of In re Khamphouy S. (1993) 12 Cal.App.4th 1130, 1135 [15 Cal.Rptr.2d 882], the Attorney General argues there was sufficient circumstantial evidence to support the implied finding the rounds were capable of being fired. In Khamphouy S., the majority held in a very close case: “Here, at the jurisdictional hearing, defense counsel challenged the sufficiency of the evidence regarding whether the ammunition found on Khamphouy was in fact live. The [trial] court responded, however, it looked live. The record contains evidence Khamphouy had thirteen .38 caliber rounds in his pockets. Under the seat on which he was sitting were two guns which McCracken describes as ‘loaded’ with .38 caliber rounds. The brand of ammunition found in Khamphouy’s jacket pocket was the same as the bullets in the .38 revolver. The rounds found in Khamphouy’s pockets appeared live to the court which by clear implication rejected the notion that evidence of testing the ammunition was necessary. From the officers’ actions in dealing with the situation as a matter of utmost gravity after a gun was first seen, including not only unloading the guns to make them ‘safe’ but also carefully collecting, separating and describing the types of ammunition found, it is a reasonable inference based on solid evidence that the ammunition was live. Why else would the officers have so carefully dealt with the ammunition? There was substantial circumstantial evidence the ammunition in Khamphouy’s pockets was live ammunition.” (Id. at pp. 1134-1135, fns.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

In Re Arcenio
46 Cal. Rptr. 3d 232 (California Court of Appeal, 2006)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
141 Cal. App. 4th 613, 46 Cal. Rptr. 3d 232, 2006 Daily Journal DAR 9495, 2006 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 6631, 2006 Cal. App. LEXIS 1095, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-arcenio-v-calctapp-2006.