People v. Calvert

18 Cal. App. 4th 1820, 23 Cal. Rptr. 2d 644, 93 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 7314, 93 Daily Journal DAR 12408, 1993 Cal. App. LEXIS 977
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 29, 1993
DocketD016412
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 18 Cal. App. 4th 1820 (People v. Calvert) 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. Calvert, 18 Cal. App. 4th 1820, 23 Cal. Rptr. 2d 644, 93 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 7314, 93 Daily Journal DAR 12408, 1993 Cal. App. LEXIS 977 (Cal. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

Opinion

KREMER, P. J.

Daniel Gene Calvert appeals his convictions of manufacturing, possessing for sale and transporting methamphetamine (Health & Saf. Code, §§ 11379.6, subd. (a), 11379, 11378) and convictions of conspiracy to manufacture, transport and possess methamphetamine for sale (Health & Saf. Code, §§ 11379.6, (subd. (a), 11379, 11378, Pen. Code, § 182, subd. (a)(1)). The court additionally found Calvert had a prior conviction of possessing methamphetamine for sale (Health & Saf. Code, §§ 11378, *1824 11370.2, subd. (a)), committed the offense while on bail on an earlier felony offense (Pen. Code, § 12022.1) and the methamphetamine weighed more than three pounds (Health & Saf. Code, § 11370.4, subd. (b)(1)).

On appeal, Calvert contends the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress. He argues the court erroneously found the search was pursuant to consent and authorized by Vehicle Code section 2805. Calvert also contends the court failed to advise him of his right not to incriminate himself before accepting submission of his case on grand jury transcripts and failed to state reasons supporting its decision to sentence consecutively. We affirm.

Facts

In the summer of 1990, Calvert and his father rented storage units at a facility in Vista. Out of unit number 210 in the Vista storage facility, Calvert sold and manufactured methamphetamine. Calvert manufactured 36 pounds of methamphetamine in unit 210. He made at least $150,000 from selling the methamphetamine. Calvert claimed it cost him $700 to manufacture a pound of methamphetamine and he could sell methamphetamine for $7,000 to $10,000 per pound.

Calvert also allowed Sal Luna, who owned the “Auto Gallery,” an automobile repair and sales shop on Miramar Road, to use unit 210 to dismantle stolen cars, in particular, stolen Porsches. Calvert also helped in dismantling the cars and wanted a front suspension from one of the stolen Porsches for his own Porsche. Luna did not want the stolen cars dismantled at the Auto Gallery because it was under the surveillance of the Auto Theft Strike Unit of the San Diego Police Department.

In July 1990, the police raided the Vista storage facility. Calvert fled to Tucson, Arizona.

While in Tucson, Calvert directed others to buy chemicals for manufacturing methamphetamine and to drive the chemicals to Tucson where he used the chemicals to make more methamphetamine. Calvert returned to San Diego on October 25, 1990. He went to Auto Gallery on Miramar Road, bringing with him six pounds of methamphetamine which he “cut” with “Vitablend” in the upstairs office. Calvert returned to Tucson.

Calvert, using the name David Russ, took over the Auto Gallery from Luna who owed him money. He renamed the business Russ Auto Motors.

On Sunday, November 24, 1990, Calvert returned to the business, bringing with him over three kilograms of methamphetamine. Calvert dumped the *1825 methamphetamine onto a four-foot-by-four-foot mirror placed on the floor in an upstairs office. One of the employees at the repair shop, Michael Madrigal, saw the mound of drugs on the mirror and asked how much trouble he could get in for the drugs. Calvert jokingly said 20 years.

Sometime after 9:30 p.m. that Sunday evening, police officers from the auto theft strike unit passed by the Miramar shop, saw the lights on and decided to stop for an inspection. In the course of the inspection, one of the officers saw the drugs on the floor of the office.

Discussion

I

Validity of the Search

Calvert contends evidence seized in the search of the auto shop on Miramar Road should have been suppressed.

A. Facts Relating to Search

On Sunday, November 24, 1990, police officers from the auto theft strike unit were returning from an unrelated drug raid when they saw lights on at the Miramar auto shop. Among the officers was Detective Michalek who had inspected the premises at least a dozen times and was familiar with the owner, Luna, and had become “social friends” with Luna’s employees, Michael Madrigal and Grant Johnson. Detective Michalek had heard rumors stolen automobile parts were being stored at the Miramar shop. Sometimes in the past, owner Luna, had requested the auto theft strike unit to inspect vehicles to make sure there were no stolen parts. Luna was in the business of restoring and selling Porsches.

As the officers approached the Miramar shop, Detective Michalek’s partner radioed and asked him if he wanted to take a look and see the owner. Detective Michalek said yes. The front of the Miramar shop facing the parking lot was all glass and consisted of a sales/showroom area where cars were displayed. Beyond the sales/showroom area were a number of bays for working on cars which had doors to the outside. Generally, when the auto theft strike unit had inspected the premises in the past, they had entered through the open bay doors. Upstairs there were offices as well as a parts room. The parts room could be accessed by a stairway in the back or by walking through the offices. The officers typically accessed the parts room by walking through the offices.

*1826 When the officers stopped at the Miramar shop on Sunday, November 24, they saw Madrigal in the sales/showroom area through the windows. Detective Michalek waved at Madrigal who waved back and started walking toward the front door to meet the detective. Madrigal arrived at the door first, opened it and Detective Michalek walked inside. They exchanged pleasantries. Detective Michalek introduced Sergeant Edward Becker and asked if they could look around. Madrigal said fine. Detective Michalek asked if Luna was around. Madrigal said Luna did not own the place anymore and Johnson was buying it.

Detective Michalek and Madrigal walked to the bay area where there were five cars in a state of disassembly. Detective Michalek asked if Johnson were around. Madrigal said he was not sure. Sergeant Becker heard someone walking upstairs and told Detective Michalek he was going to go upstairs to see if Johnson was there. The office doors were open and the light was on. At the doorway, Sergeant Becker announced he was from the auto theft strike unit but did not receive any response. He took a step inside the doorway that was wide open, saw another doorway that was wide open and two people standing next to a desk. Sergeant Becker saw a mound of powder on a mirror with a bucket beside it and assumed “it was probably plaster because [he] thought they were doing some work inside [the] office.” He thought “they were mixing up some plaster to probably fix some holes in the walls or whatever.”

Sergeant Becker identified himself and asked, “Are one of you Grant [Johnson]?” One of the men said he was Grant. Sergeant Becker said, “Good. We want to talk to you downstairs.” He asked both men to come downstairs. Both walked by him to go downstairs. Johnson walked into the sales/showroom area while the other man walked out the front door.

After the men had started down the stairs, Sergeant Becker smelled marijuana burning in the room.

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Bluebook (online)
18 Cal. App. 4th 1820, 23 Cal. Rptr. 2d 644, 93 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 7314, 93 Daily Journal DAR 12408, 1993 Cal. App. LEXIS 977, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-calvert-calctapp-1993.