People v. Calio

724 P.2d 1162, 42 Cal. 3d 639, 230 Cal. Rptr. 137, 1986 Cal. LEXIS 269
CourtCalifornia Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 2, 1986
DocketCrim. 24711
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 724 P.2d 1162 (People v. Calio) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Calio, 724 P.2d 1162, 42 Cal. 3d 639, 230 Cal. Rptr. 137, 1986 Cal. LEXIS 269 (Cal. 1986).

Opinions

Opinion

BROUSSARD, J.

This is another in a series of cases involving the five-year serious felony enhancement of Penal Code sections 667 and 1192.7.1 In People v. Jackson (1985) 37 Cal.3d 826 [210 Cal.Rptr. 623, 694 P.2d 736] (hereafter Jackson), we said that the prosecution could not prove that a prior burglary conviction qualified as a serious felony under sections 667 and 1192.7 unless residential entry was an element of the offense.2 A defendant who admits that his prior burglary involved residential entry, however, is bound by that admission.

Defendant in the present case moved to strike allegations charging prior residential burglaries, arguing that under People v. Crowson (1983) 33 Cal.3d 623 [190 Cal.Rptr. 165, 660 P.2d 389], the prosecution could not prove something which was not an element of the crime—a contention we later endorsed in Jackson. After the trial judge denied the motion, defendant expressly reserved the issue for appeal, then admitted the serious felony allegations. The Court of Appeal held that, having properly raised and preserved the issue, defendant has standing to contend on appeal that the prosecution was barred from proving the serious felony allegations. Applying the analysis in Jackson, it upheld defendant’s contention and reversed the section 667 enhancements. We affirm the conclusions of the Court of Appeal.

On September 12, 1983, Peter Prolo heard a sound at his sliding glass door. He opened the curtain and saw defendant. Prolo chased defendant into the street, then returned and called the police. There were scratches or pry marks on the door latch. Prolo identified defendant at the trial.

San Jose Police Officer Donald Titgens, responding to a burglary-in-progress call which included a description of the suspect, arrested defendant walking rapidly near the Prolo residence.

[642]*642A neighbor, Sally O’Toole, testified that she saw a man attempt to open Prolo’s garage, then disappear behind the house. A few minutes later she saw him run away. O’Toole also identified defendant.

Defendant was charged with attempted burglary. A second amended information charged seven prior convictions. Paragraph five alleged a prior conviction for “a serious felony . . . attempted residential burglary ... on charges brought and tried separately, within the meaning of Sections 667 and 1192.7 of the Penal Code.” Paragraph seven alleged a prior conviction for “residential burglary” in the same language. Paragraph four also alleged a conviction for attempted residential burglary, but did not assert that it was a serious felony, brought and tried separately. The other prior convictions involved offenses which do not constitute serious felonies.3

At commencement of trial, defense counsel moved to strike the serious felony allegations. Citing People v. Crowson, supra, 33 Cal.3d 623, counsel argued that the prior conviction did not possess all required elements of a serious felony because entry into a residence was not then an element of the crime. The district attorney pointed out that the information in the prior cases had alleged entry or attempted entry into a residence; defense counsel rejoined that any such allegation “under the rationale of the Crowson case, is surplusage.” The trial judge, however, agreed with the argument of the district attorney and rejected the motion to strike.

Defense counsel reviewed the district attorney’s documentation and satisfied himself that the priors were true. He then informed the trial judge that, “[a]t this point in time, Mr. Calio would admit his prior convictions for the purposes of trial, reserving, of course, any rights he has later on his appeal, rights based upon the motion that I made on the priors.” The court replied, ‘ ‘ Certainly. ’ ’

When the judge questioned defendant concerning the admissions, defendant said he understood that he was admitting the prior convictions for purpose of trial only and could deny them later. The judge explained that the admission would affect the punishment as well as the trial, but that “[i]t wouldn’t interfere with any rights you might have on appeal relative to the priors.” Defense counsel interjected: “It doesn’t have any effect as to rights you have on appeal as to the priors. ... I made a motion that the priors should not be used to enhance. You understand that?” Defendant replied, “Yes.” The court then accepted the admission of the two prior convictions as serious felonies.

[643]*643The jury found defendant guilty of attempted residential burglary. The court sentenced defendant to the middle term of two years on the principal count, plus an enhancement of ten years for the two prior serious felony convictions. The Court of Appeal affirmed the conviction, but reversed the serious felony enhancements.4 We granted the People’s petition for review.

We first examine defendant’s standing to challenge the enhancements on appeal. Defense counsel before trial raised the question whether under People v. Crowson, supra, 33 Cal.3d 623, defendant’s prior burglaries constituted serious felonies since residential entry was not an element established by those convictions. When the trial court denied the defense motion, defendant, on advice of counsel, admitted the prior convictions in order to avoid having those convictions proved to the jury. Even without an express reservation of the right to appeal, defendant’s admissions would not be binding if induced by judicial error: “An attorney who submits to the authority of an erroneous, adverse ruling after making appropriate objections or motions, does not waive the error in the ruling by proceeding in accordance therewith and endeavoring to make the best of a bad situation for which he was not responsible.” (Leibman v. Curtis (1955) 138 Cal.App.2d 222, 225 (291 P.2d 542].)

In this case when defendant admitted the prior convictions he was expressly reassured by the court and by his counsel, in the presence of the court, that he could still raise the Crowson issue on appeal. The Attorney General now argues that defendant’s admissions were part of a bargain in which three other prior convictions potentially available to impeach defendant’s testimony were dismissed;5 he claims that defendant, having received the benefit of the bargain, should not now be able to challenge the [644]*644admissions. We are doubtful whether there was a bargain.6 Certainly defendant received little benefit, with four convictions remaining for impeachment and two for serious felony enhancements. But bargain or not, it is clear that defendant’s admission of the prior residential burglaries was made on the express assurance that he could raise the Crowson issue on appeal. The district attorney raised no objection to those assurances. We can only conclude that if there was a bargain, its terms did not preclude the defendant’s appeal.

We therefore turn to the question whether defendant’s prior convictions for burglary and attempted burglary could be used as the basis for an enhancement under sections 667 and 1192.7.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
724 P.2d 1162, 42 Cal. 3d 639, 230 Cal. Rptr. 137, 1986 Cal. LEXIS 269, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-calio-cal-1986.