People v. Campos

198 Cal. App. 3d 917, 244 Cal. Rptr. 75, 1988 Cal. App. LEXIS 123
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 19, 1988
DocketA038378
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 198 Cal. App. 3d 917 (People v. Campos) 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. Campos, 198 Cal. App. 3d 917, 244 Cal. Rptr. 75, 1988 Cal. App. LEXIS 123 (Cal. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

Opinion

WHITE, P. J.

Defendant and appellant Ramon V. Campos appeals from the judgment of the Superior Court of San Francisco County, entered after the trial court revoked his probation, sentencing him to prison for 16 months for a violation of Penal Code section 487, subdivision 3 (grand theft of an automobile). Appellant contends on appeal that (1) the probation officer’s conclusion that appellant’s reentry to the United States was “illegal” does not provide a sufficient basis for revocation of probation; and (2) the trial court in revoking appellant’s probation failed to consider as a mitigating factor that he had been deported. We have found no merit to either of these contentions and have affirmed the judgment.

Appellant pled guilty to a violation of Penal Code section 487, subdivision 3, and on June 6, 1983, the trial court suspended imposition of sentence and placed appellant on probation for three years on condition that he spend six months in county jail. Upon completion of his sentence in county jail, appellant was deported to Mexico. On March 21, 1986, Probation Officer George Hawthorne filed a motion to revoke appellant’s probation alleging that appellant had never reported and could not be contacted by mail and stating that appellant had been deported following his release from county jail. The motion was granted and a no-bail bench warrant was issued.

On February 15, 1987, appellant was arrested for a violation of Vehicle Code section 20002 (hit and run) at which time his no-bail bench warrant was discovered. The following occurred in regard to revocation of appellant’s probation: On February 18, 1987, he was returned to court and a *920 bilingual interpreter was sworn, the public defender was appointed to represent appellant and the cause was referred to the probation department for a supplemental report. The supplemental probation report contains a statement of facts surrounding the hit and run incident. The supplemental report also contains the statement that appellant had “never reported to the Probation Department.” The supplemental report also includes a summary of the interview the probation officer had with appellant. Under the heading “evaluation” the supplemental probation report states: “The defendant is an illegal alien, having been deported August 13, 1983. He states that he returned to the United States, illegally, approximately two years ago.” On March 26, 1987, appellant waived his right to a formal hearing on the petition to revoke his probation and agreed to submit the cause on the basis of the supplemental report of the probation department; however appellant’s counsel reserved the right to argue against the report. Defense counsel argued at the probation revocation hearing that there was nothing to substantiate the statement of the probation officer that appellant was in the country illegally. At the hearing the People introduced into evidence a certified copy of the order and warrant of deportation of appellant which states that the date of departure of appellant from the United States was August of 1983. Following argument, the court revoked appellant’s probation on the grounds that appellant had illegally returned to the United States and that appellant had never reported to the probation department.

On appeal appellant contends that the trial court improperly relied upon the statement in the probation report that he had “illegally” returned to the United States. Appellant asserts that there must be a factual basis for statements in the probation report before a court may rely on said statements to revoke probation. Appellant states: “In the instant case the bare conclusion that appellant’s reentry was illegal is merely speculative.” Appellant further argues that although it is undisputed that he failed to report to the probation department, the fact that he had been deported should be considered a factor in mitigation and there is nothing in the record to show that the trial court so considered this factor.

At the probation revocation hearing counsel for appellant argued there was nothing in the probation report to substantiate whether appellant’s return to the United States was legal or illegal. At this point the trial court stated: “I’m prepared to listen to any evidence that you wish to present including the testimony of [appellant] that he is presently in the United States legally.” Counsel for appellant informed the trial court that appellant was standing on “his right to remain silent and does stand on that it is the People’s burden, and we just submit that we don’t believe the People met their burden and we submit it.”

*921 It is implicit in every order granting probation that the defendant refrain from engaging in criminal practices. Illegally entering the United States after deportation is a violation of probation under the implicit condition that the defendant obey all laws. (People v. Cortez (1962) 199 Cal.App.2d 839, 844-845 [19 Cal.Rptr. 50].)

It is true that there must be a factual basis to support an order revoking probation and the probation report must contain some reliable factual information from which the trial court can determine if a violation of probation has occurred. (In re Stallings (1970) 5 Cal.App.3d 322, 334 [85 Cal.Rptr. 96].) If appellant wished to refute the statement that he was illegally in the country, he could have done so by presenting evidence at the probation revocation hearing rather than submitting the cause on the supplemental probation report. (People v. Ruiz (1975) 53 Cal.App.3d 715, 718-719 [125 Cal.Rptr. 886].) “Under section 1203.2 of the Penal Code the trial court is permitted to receive reports of a probation officer. [Citation.] If a defendant has a quarrel with the contents of the report he may then request a hearing and refute any allegations that he feels are unfounded. [Citations.]” (Ibid.)

The certified copy of the order and warrant of deportation of appellant that was entered into evidence at the probation revocation hearing along with the statement in the supplemental probation report that appellant had been deported on August 13, 1983, provided a factual basis from which the trial court could determine whether appellant was in the United States legally or illegally. Neither party at the hearing on the probation revocation or in this court has discussed the legal effect of the fact that appellant had been deported a year or so before his return to the United States. The legal effect of a fact that is stated in the probation report or a document introduced into evidence at the probation revocation hearing is very different from the requirement that there be a factual basis to support an order revoking probation. The factual basis must be either in the probation report or introduced at the hearing on probation revocation, but whether the facts stated constitute grounds for revocation is a question for the trial court. The factual basis (appellant’s deportation) was sufficient for the trial court to determine whether there had been a violation of appellant’s probation because he was illegally in the country.

Appellant had been deported pursuant to section 241(a)(2) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. (8 U.S.C.A.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
198 Cal. App. 3d 917, 244 Cal. Rptr. 75, 1988 Cal. App. LEXIS 123, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-campos-calctapp-1988.