People v. Buckman

186 Cal. App. 2d 38, 8 Cal. Rptr. 765, 1960 Cal. App. LEXIS 1599
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 2, 1960
DocketCrim. 7109
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 186 Cal. App. 2d 38 (People v. Buckman) 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. Buckman, 186 Cal. App. 2d 38, 8 Cal. Rptr. 765, 1960 Cal. App. LEXIS 1599 (Cal. Ct. App. 1960).

Opinion

*41 LILLIE, J.

Appellants Drugan, Chernoek and LaCroix, with codefendants Reynolds and Buckman, were variously charged in four counts alleging conspiracy to commit, and violations of, the bookmaking statute. Count I charged all defendants except LaCroix with conspiracy to violate section 337a, subdivisions 1, 2 and 4, Penal Code, alleging four overt acts—occupancy of premises at—915 North Sycamore Avenue by Reynolds (No. 1), 5407 Sierra Vista Street by Buckman (No. 2), 7465 Hawthorne Avenue by Chernoek (No. 3), and 3200 West Beverly Boulevard by Drugan (No. 4), with bookmaking paraphernalia for the purpose of recording or registering bets. Counts II and III charged Buckman, Reynolds, Chernoek and Drugan with bookmaking (Pen. Code, § 337a, subd. 1), and occupying premises with bookmaking paraphernalia (§ 337a, subd. 2); Count IV included LaCroix alleging they recorded and registered bets (§ 337a, subd. 4). The trial court found all defendants guilty as charged. Drugan, Chernock and LaCroix appeal from the judgment of conviction and order denying motion for new trial; Buckman and Reynolds have taken no appeal.

Because of the conspiracy charge (Count I), we relate the evidence in considerable detail. Relying on anonymous information that bets were being accepted by one “Ray” Drugan, whose telephone number was DUnkirk 5-3294, at his garage, 3200 Beverly Boulevard and that he was forwarding them to HOllywood 2-8725, and on the result of an investigation showing Drugan to have the Dunkirk number, Officer Konstanturos and his partner, both experienced officers and experts in the manner and means of bookmaking as commonly conducted in Los Angeles, went to Drugan’s garage on August 11,1959, around 1:15 p.m. Konstanturos told him a complaint had been received that he was accepting and forwarding bets. Drugan denied he was a bookie but admitted he played the horses; and, handing the officer a piece of paper consisting of a betting marker bearing ink notations (Exhibit 1) which he took from his right front shirt pocket, said: “As a matter of fact, here are the horses I played this last Saturday. ’ ’ The notations represented the names of horses and wagers placed on them. “Chris” and “Don” appeared after some of the bets; Drugan said they were close friends with whom he had “gone in on” several bets which he forwarded to his bookie. The horses listed in Exhibit 1 ran at Del Mar and Washington Park on August 8. Asked by the officer if they could search the premises, Drugan said, “Sure, go ahead. You will *42 find a dozen of those things around here. ’ ’ Two pieces of paper were found on the counter next to the telephone—one bearing the name of a horse (Exhibit 2) and the other constituting a betting marker indicating the names of horses and bettors, amounts wagered, et cetera (Exhibit 3). There were also two telephones on the premises, one with the Dunkirk number. Drugan told officers that he bet often and occasionally accepted bets from friends which he then forwarded to his own bookie, whose telephone number he did not have but who called three times a day; and that the money involved changed hands by being passed in an envelope underneath the garage door. Drugan was arrested at approximately 1:30 p.m. Three days later, again at his garage, Drugan told officers that “he had met several people that he had been doing business with for a long time while he was in jail, people that he had never seen before, people that he did not know any of the names of . . and, “the only one he recognized by the telephone voice . . . was ‘Lefty’ . . . ‘Lefty’ was the one that called him on the telephone.” Considered in the light of Drugan’s prior statement to the officer, this leads to the obvious conclusion that he in effect stated that “Lefty” was his bookie.

Simultaneous with the officer’s visit to Drugan, and having previously ascertained that HOllywood 2-8725 belonged to George Buekman at 5407 Sierra Vista Street, a policewoman and four officers went to that location where she situated herself in a telephone booth in a drug store and the others in various positions between there and the apartment house. The policewoman called the Hollywood number which was answered by a male voice. She said, ‘ ‘ This is Charlene for Duke ... I would like to place these bets ... $3 in the fifth race on ‘Purple People’ and in the sixth race one across on ‘Golden Emblem’ and in the seventh race one across on ‘Father John’ ”; he answered, “Okay” and hung up. Keeping the telephone open, she signaled his acceptance of the bets to the chain of officers, and the last one entered the building. A few seconds later she heard the officer’s voice on the telephone. Upon entering the building at 5407 Sierra Vista the officer knocked loudly on the door of the apartment belonging to George Buekman declaring he was a police officer and demanding admittance; he heard a loud thump from within and forced entry. He saw Buekman standing in the kitchen with his back to him, a telephone, and a large piece of white f OTmica (Exhibit 4) which Buekman was busily rubbing with a wet rag. Moving Buekman away the officer saw on the table near *43 the formica a pencil, a radio which at intervals was giving race results, and a copy of the National Daily Reporter dated August 11 (Exhibit 5). Buckman was arrested around 1:39 p.m. He told officers he had been taking action there for only a couple of days; that the “office” phoned him to pick up the action; that he had never heard of the federal wagering tax stamp and that his friend “Sam” asked him to take over for him for a short time. During the time the officers were in Buckman’s apartment they answered a series of five telephone calls which came in on the Hollywood number. The first call was at 1:40 p.m.; a male voice said, “A1 for Duke . . . In the first at Del Mar ‘Harvest Call,’ two to win. In the third ‘Capriosa’ two to win; in the seventh, ‘Father John,’ two to win”; the caller thought he was laying wagers on the horses mentioned; when the officer said “Okay” the former hung up. Another like conversation occurred at 2 p.m. On the third call, around 2:05, a voice said, “Ray (Drugan) on Beverly (Boulevard) has just been busted (arrested) . . . You’ve got to be careful. He has a whole string of bets in his pocket and he also has your telephone number”; the officer replied, “(T)he office hasn’t called me to take any of the action yet and it is getting awfully late ’ ’; and, the caller gave the number OL 4-3131, saying, “This is a place of business but don’t let that bother you. When you call just ask for ‘Lefty’ and they will switch the call to me.” At 2:07, on the fourth call, a male voice said to the officer, “This is Sam. Have the office call me as soon as they call you”; he replied, “Fine. I’ll do that, but just in case they don’t have your number, what is it?”; the voice answered, “NO 5-2201.” The fifth call came at approximately 2:10 p.m. and the voice said, “This is ‘Lefty.’ Sam wants you to call him. Something is wrong.” . . . and, that Sam told him “Ray over on Beverly” had been arrested.

OL 4-3131, given to the police officer by “Lefty” as his number over Buckman’s telephone was that of the Universal Lumber Company at 915 North Sycamore. Two officers went to that location; one called the number on the telephone across the street. A female voice identifying the Universal Lumber Company answered.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
186 Cal. App. 2d 38, 8 Cal. Rptr. 765, 1960 Cal. App. LEXIS 1599, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-buckman-calctapp-1960.