People v. Brown CA3

California Court of Appeal·Decided November 21, 2013·No. C070909·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 11/21/13 P. v. Brown CA3 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published,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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 THIRD APPELLATE DISTRICT (Siskiyou) ----

THE PEOPLE, C070909

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Super. Ct. Nos. MC YK CR BF 11-733, v. MC YK CR F 11-1658)

RODGER ARNOLD BROWN,

Defendant and Appellant.

This case comes to us pursuant to People v. Wende (1979) 25 Cal.3d 436 (Wende) and People v. Kelly (2006) 40 Cal.4th 106, 110 (Kelly). Having reviewed the record as required by Wende, we note four errors in the second amended abstract of judgment, which we will order corrected. In all other respects, we affirm the judgment.

We provide the following brief description of the facts and procedural history of the case. (Kelly, supra, 40 Cal.4th at p. 124.) Siskiyou County Case No. 11-733

In the spring of 2011, law enforcement responded to three reports of domestic violence at defendant’s home. During one event, defendant and his girlfriend C.T. fought

1 after she refused to let him use their food stamps to buy chips and salsa. Defendant kicked C.T. and struck her with his hands. When law enforcement arrived at the home, C.T. came to the door with her hair covering her face and denied there had been a physical assault. No arrest was made and the deputies left.

Shortly after the deputies left, C.T. was in the bathroom looking at her face in the mirror when defendant came up behind her and punched her in the back of her head, driving her into the vanity and causing her to fall into the bathtub. Defendant then jumped on top of C.T. inside the bathtub, and began to beat her. Defendant bit C.T.’s lip, choked her, and said “die bitch die.” The assault ended when a neighbor came to the door and opened it. Defendant then left the house.

Several days later defendant and C.T. argued about sleeping arrangements that night—defendant wanted to sleep on the couch and C.T. wanted him to come back to bed. As they argued, C.T. walked outside toward her car to go get some cigarettes; before she could make it out of the yard, defendant hit her from behind. Defendant hit C.T. so hard she fell to the ground and he began to beat her with his hands and fists. Somehow they got back inside the house where defendant threw C.T. to the kitchen floor and continued to beat her: punching, hitting, and kicking her in the head, face, shoulders, and back.

Law enforcement was called; when they arrived, the deputies found C.T. in front of the house crying, her right eye bruised and beginning to swell. She also had a “hole punched in her lip” by a tooth from the prior assault. C.T. was reticent to tell them what happened because she was afraid of defendant. She told the deputies that defendant belonged to a “White Power” group and had warned her she would suffer “clear repercussions” if she ever cooperated with law enforcement and she believed him. The deputies found defendant hiding in a doghouse in the back yard. They took him into custody.

2 Deputies later interviewed C.T.’s 14-year-old son J.T., who indicated he was present when defendant and C.T. argued about sleeping arrangements. J.T. remembered defendant telling C.T. if she left, he would not be there when she got back and he would burn the house down. J.T. described defendant following C.T. out to her car and knocking her down. J.T. put his shoes on to help his mother but before he could get outside, defendant was already bringing C.T. back inside. J.T. put his hands on defendant’s chest and told him to “stop” and defendant punched him twice in the face with a closed fist.

Defendant was later held to answer to the following charges: premeditated, attempted murder (Pen. Code, §§ 664 & 187, subd. (a)—count 1),1 two counts of torture (§ 206—counts 2 & 4), aggravated mayhem (§ 205—count 3), mayhem (§ 203—count 5), three counts of corporal injury of a cohabitant resulting in trauma (§ 273.5, subd. (a)—counts 6, 8 & 10), three counts of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury (§ 245, subd. (a)(1)—counts 7, 9 & 11), endangering the health or life of a child (§ 273a, subd. (a)—count 12), inflicting cruel and inhuman corporal punishment upon a child (§ 273d, subd. (a)—count 13), threatening a witness using force and violence (§ 140, subd. (a)—count 14), making criminal threats (§ 422—count 15), and street terrorism (§ 186.22, subd. (a)—count 16).

The People also alleged that the crimes alleged in counts 1 through 11 and 14 were committed in furtherance of a gang. (§ 186.22, subd. (b)(1)(C).) They further alleged that defendant inflicted great bodily injury in violation of section 12022.7, subdivision (e) when the crimes alleged in counts 1 through 3, 5 through 10, 11, and 14 were committed. Appended to counts 6 and 8 through 10, were allegations that defendant was previously convicted of a domestic violence offense. (§ 273.5, subd. (e)(1).) As to all counts, the

1 Undesignated statutory references are to the Penal Code.

3 People alleged defendant was previously convicted of a serious felony (i.e., first degree burglary in Super. Ct. Trinity County, 2003, No. 03F119A) under section 667, subdivision (a)(1), which also qualified as a strike under sections 667, subdivision (e) and 1170.12, subdivision (c), and previously served two prison terms (§ 667.5, subd. (b)).

On August 23, 2011, defendant pleaded no contest to three counts of inflicting corporal injury on a cohabitant (counts 6, 8 &10), threatening a witness (a misdemeanor, count 14), and street terrorism (count 16, as a misdemeanor). He also admitted previously being convicted of a serious felony and a strike, previously serving a term in prison, and previously being convicted on a charge of domestic violence. In exchange for his plea, the People agreed to a sentencing lid of 15 years in state prison, suspended, with 365 days in county jail. The remaining charges and allegations were conditionally dismissed in light of the plea and defendant was released from custody on a Cruz2 waiver.

On September 3, 2011, a probation officer made an unannounced visit to defendant’s mother’s residence, where he had been ordered to stay pending sentencing. Defendant’s urine was collected and tested positive for oxycodone. Defendant admitted he “ate” an “oxy” earlier that day, thereby violating the terms of his Cruz waiver. Two more tests were done in September, each came back negative, but the probation officer recommended a Cruz waiver hearing before the probation presentence report was submitted. At that hearing, on September 27, 2011, the trial court found defendant violated the terms of the Cruz waiver and the People announced their intent to argue the 15-year prison sentence should be imposed.

2 People v. Cruz (1988) 44 Cal.3d 1247. Defendant’s Cruz waiver included conditions that he submit to search and seizure and testing and not consume alcohol or drugs.

4 Siskiyou County Case No. 11-1658

On September 15, 2011, law enforcement responded to a report that defendant had shoved a female relative, T.H., to the ground. When officers arrived at the scene, defendant’s grandmother reported that defendant came to her house angry. He argued with her daughter, T.H., and shoved T.H. to the ground. Then defendant and T.H. left the house together, walking toward defendant’s house. The officers went to defendant’s house and spoke to T.H. who said they were just “messing around.”

On October 7, 2011, law enforcement received another call from defendant’s grandmother. She reported that defendant assaulted T.H.

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