People v. Bonman

201 Cal. App. 2d 248, 20 Cal. Rptr. 238, 1962 Cal. App. LEXIS 2587
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 13, 1962
DocketCrim. 7720
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 201 Cal. App. 2d 248 (People v. Bonman) 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. Bonman, 201 Cal. App. 2d 248, 20 Cal. Rptr. 238, 1962 Cal. App. LEXIS 2587 (Cal. Ct. App. 1962).

Opinion

*250 HERNDON, J.

In an information filed on March 22, 1960, appellant was charged with two violations of section 337a, subdivision 4, Penal Code, bookmaking. Pursuant to stipulation a jury trial was waived and the ease was submitted on the transcript of the preliminary hearing and on the police report. Appellant was found not guilty on Count I and guilty on Count II. Appellant’s motion for a new trial and his application for probation were denied. He has appealed from the judgment and from the order denying his motion for a new trial.

On February 5, 1960, Officers Jackson and Demarest of the Los Angeles Police Department were investigating vice conditions. They entered the St. Agnes Hotel at 560 Gladys Street and observed appellant standing next to a pay phone in the lobby. He was counting a large amount of currency. The officers recognized him as a known bookmaker and asked him what he was doing. The officers told appellant they would like to talk to him in private. Officer Demarest and appellant left the hotel while Officer Jackson remained behind. In looking around the area where appellant had been standing, Officer Jackson observed a pocket-size western novel lying on the radiator next to the telephone.

Examining the book more closely, he saw that a third of the pages had been torn out and that on the last three pages there were combinations of letters and numbers similar to the code system used to record bets. The officers showed the book to appellant and asked him what the numbers and letters meant. Appellant replied, “You found them, you tell me.” Appellant was then asked if he had any betting markers in his pockets. He answered in the negative and told the officers to look for themselves. The officers then searched appellant and found a National Daily Racing Reporter dated February 5, 1960, and three white slips of paper in his coat pocket. The slips had numbers and letters resembling those appearing on the pages of the pocket book. Appellant told the officers that he had written on the slips and that they were a “grocery list or something.” The officers found $139 in currency, mostly in one-dollar bills, in appellant’s possession. The officers warned appellant about any future bookmaking activities and took the papers and book to Central Vice Headquarters.

At headquarters, Officer McAlpine, a bookmaking expert, found that the letters and numbers were a code system, which, when decoded, indicated the outcome of horse races that were run at various race tracks on February 5, 1960. When ar *251 rested on previous occasions, appellant had been found using a similar system of cryptography.

On February 10, 1960, at approximately 2 p. m., Officers Jackson and Demarest observed several men enter the St. Agnes Hotel holding various newspapers opened to the racing sections. After a short period of time, the officers entered the lobby of the hotel and again observed appellant standing near the pay phone. As the officers approached him, appellant said, “Let’s go outside and talk.” Officer Jackson looked around the area where appellant had been standing, and found another small slip of paper with a National Daily Reporter placed between the pages of the phone book near the pay phone. The letters and numbers on the small slip resembled the letters and numbers that appeared on the pages of the pocket novel and three slips of paper that appellant admitted writing on February 5, 1960. This slip appeared to be a betting marker on which the same code appeared to have been used as was found on the pages of the pocket novel.

On searching appellant, the officers found a small pad of white paper slips identical to the small slip found in the phone book and the slips taken on February 5th. At this time appellant had on his person some $235 in dimes, quarters, halves and numerous small denominations of currency. Appellant was then arrested and informed by the officers that they knew he was a bookmaker. To this accusation appellant responded: “You might know this but proving it is a different thing.” Further accusations made by the officers failed to elicit any further responses from appellant.

Appellant was requested to fill out a handwriting exemplar card. He filled out a portion of the card, but refused to write the letters of the alphabet stating, “I will not fill out the numbers and letters on the handwriting card because I have to protect myself.” Officer MeAlpine was shown slips of paper taken from appellant and the officer expressed the opinion that they represented recordation in code of wagers on horse races at various tracks.

Appellant stipulated that his case might be submitted on a reporter’s transcript of the preliminary hearing, subject to the right to produce additional evidence. Officers Jackson, Demarest and MeAlpine testified at the preliminary hearing. Officer MeAlpine qualified as an expert witness in the field of bookmaking. He expressed the opinion that the various papers and equipment found in appellant’s possession were bookmaking paraphernalia. The sufficiency of the evidence to sup *252 port a finding that appellant was engaged in bookmaking activities is not open to serious question.

Appellant’s primary contention is that he was denied due process of law when the trial court read and considered the police and arrest reports together with the transcript of the preliminary hearing. This contention is completely without merit because it clearly appears that appellant’s counsel not only approved, but actually proposed, the terms of the stipulation which specified the contents of the record upon which the ease was submitted to the trial court. At the beginning of the trial, Mr. Pagan, the deputy district attorney, stated the terms of his agreement with appellant’s counsel, Mr. Porno, as follows:

“If the Court please, I have already discussed this with Mr. Porno, and it is not my policy to submit on the transcript alone. However, Mr. Porno feels that there is some defense material in there, and I have agreed with him that as far as the People’s case I will rely and rest on the evidence contained in the police arrest reports in my file, and I have also entered into a stipulation with him, because I think he is entitled to it, to submit the preliminary transcript, which is some 79 pages, and that is agreeable with me, and I will stipulate that may be deemed part of the record.”

Mr. Pagan then stated: “The People offer to stipulate that the Court may read and consider the police and arrest reports in the District Attorney’s file bearing No. DR. # 60419859, with the same force and effect as if the witnesses who are there listed were deemed called, sworn and testified in the manner set forth in the arrest and police reports?” Appellant’s counsel, Mr. Porno, responded as follows: “It will be so stipulated. May I propose the stipulation that the transcript of the preliminary hearing held in this case, Case No. 226,162, held on March 16, 1960 in Division 44, that the evidence contained in this transcript be received with the same force and effect as if the witnesses were here called, sworn and testified?” Mr. Pagan joined in the foregoing stipulation.

Appellant’s reliance upon People v. Parra, 193 Cal.App.2d 93 [13 Cal.Rptr. 828] is misplaced.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
201 Cal. App. 2d 248, 20 Cal. Rptr. 238, 1962 Cal. App. LEXIS 2587, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-bonman-calctapp-1962.