People v. Coleman CA4/2

California Court of Appeal·Decided April 9, 2025·No. E082362·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 4/9/25 P. v. Coleman CA4/2

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT DIVISION TWO

THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, E082362 v. (Super.Ct.No. FVI17000111) GARY MITCHELL COLEMAN, JR., OPINION Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from the Superior Court of San Bernardino County. Charlie Hill, Judge.

Affirmed and remanded with directions.

Sally Patrone, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant.

Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Charles S. Ragland, Assistant Attorney General, Daniel Rogers, Alana R. Butler and Sharon L. Rhodes, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

INTRODUCTION

On a Saturday morning in May 2015, appellant Gary Mitchell Coleman, Jr., (Coleman) drove home after a night out drinking in Las Vegas. Around 6:30 a.m., he was seen driving over 130 miles per hour and weaving in and out of traffic on a rural stretch of Interstate 15. Minutes later, he rear-ended a sport utility vehicle (SUV), causing the SUV to flip over and roll across the lanes of oncoming traffic, killing the driver.

Coleman was convicted by a jury of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

(Pen. Code, § 191.5, subd. (b).)1 He was sentenced to the middle term of two years.

Coleman contends the trial court erred in sentencing him to the middle term of two years, rather than the lower term of 16 months. He asserts that under section 1170, subdivision (b)(6), the lower term was presumed due to his youth and psychological trauma, and that the court abused its discretion by relying on improper aggravating factors to conclude that imposition of the lower term was not in the interests of justice. He also contends the court miscalculated his presentence credits and that the minute order for the sentencing hearing incorrectly reflects that the court imposed the upper term of two years.

We agree the minute order should be corrected to reflect that the court imposed the middle term of two years and otherwise affirm.

1 All further statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise indicated.

BACKGROUND

1. The Underlying Offense A. Prosecution Evidence On May 2, 2015, a little before 6:30 a.m., a driver on a rural stretch of Interstate 15 near the city of Baker called 911 to report that a silver Mercedes had just passed him going around 145 miles per hour. At trial, the driver estimated the Mercedes was going about 60 miles per hour faster than he was, which he calculated to be around 130 or 135 miles per hour. When the Mercedes passed the driver, it missed hitting his car by about a foot, then overextended onto the left shoulder before correcting back into the lane. The driver watched the Mercedes weave in and out of traffic over the next few miles, and he called 911 to report it.

Within minutes of the driver’s 911 call, the Mercedes rear-ended an SUV, causing the SUV to roll across the lanes of oncoming traffic and crash. The driver of the SUV was ejected from her vehicle and died at the scene. The Mercedes spun out and came to rest in the dirt area of the center median.

When law enforcement and emergency personnel arrived, Coleman was removed from the driver’s seat of the Mercedes and placed on a gurney. His eyes were bloodshot and he smelled like alcohol. He was lethargic. He admitted to the responding officer that he rear-ended a vehicle, but his voice was low and hard to understand. He attempted to give a breath sample, but did not provide enough air for the machine. A later blood draw reflected a blood-alcohol content of 0.12 percent. A person is impaired for purposes of driving a vehicle at 0.08 percent.

Later that afternoon, after being medically cleared, Coleman waived his Miranda2 rights and spoke with an officer. Coleman told the officer he was driving back from Las Vegas when the collision occurred. The day before the collision was a Friday. Coleman worked that day and left for Las Vegas around 5:00 p.m. He was operating on only a few hours of sleep because he had locked himself out of his apartment the night before.

Coleman arrived in Las Vegas around 10:00 p.m. and got something to eat.

Around midnight he met up with a fraternity brother named “Big Lou” at the apartment of one of Big Lou’s friends. Coleman had a shot of vodka at the apartment, and then around 1:00 a.m. went to a strip club with Big Lou and a couple of Big Lou’s friends. Coleman had a beer and a shot of tequila at the strip club. Around 3:30 a.m. they went to a casino. While at the casino, Coleman got emotional about his girlfriend and got into an argument with Big Lou. Coleman left the casino around 5:00 a.m. and began driving home. He was tired and felt the effects of the alcohol while he was driving. He did not remember how the collision occurred. He told the officer he probably fell asleep.

B. Defense Evidence Coleman testified in his own defense.3 He was 24 years old at the time of the collision. He was in the Navy and recently stationed at Lemoore Naval Base. He

2 Miranda v. Arizona (1966) 384 U.S. 436.

3 Coleman’s testimony addressed the events leading up to the collision. We summarize only those facts that differ or add to the statement he gave to law enforcement.

explained that although he only had a couple hours of sleep the night before he went to Las Vegas, he had been trained in the Navy to operate on short sleep.

Coleman went to Las Vegas to meet his girlfriend. He was initially planning to stay overnight with Big Lou, but after they got into the argument at the casino, Big Lou told Coleman he could not stay with him that night.

Coleman left the casino around 4:00 or 5:00 a.m. and took a nap in his car. He felt refreshed when he woke up and began driving home. At some point that changed, and he felt the effects of the alcohol and felt tired. The last thing Coleman remembered was hitting a stretch of the freeway that did not have any rest stops. He explained, “sleep just came over me. … [I]t was almost like a dream … and then boom.” Coleman hit his head and the air bags deployed. Later, someone pulled him out of the car and told him he murdered someone. He was in shock. He knew he was driving fast, but did not recall how fast. Nor did he recall seeing the SUV before he struck it. 2. Procedural History A. The Charges and Conviction The prosecution charged Coleman with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated (§ 191.5, subd. (a)), and alleged multiple aggravating circumstances (§ 1170, subd. (b)(2)).

Eventually the case went to trial, and a jury convicted Coleman of the lesser included offense of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated with ordinary negligence. (§ 191.5, subd. (b).) Following a bifurcated proceeding, the trial court found true a single

aggravating circumstance, that the crime involved great bodily harm that resulted in the victim’s death. (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 4.421(a)(1).)4 B. The Sentencing Hearing The probation officer’s report and the parties’ sentencing briefs identified the rebuttable low term presumption of section 1170, subdivision (b)(6), and the corollary rule 4.420(e), as a sentencing consideration for the court. In light of the presumption, the probation officer recommended the court impose the low term of 16 months with a period of mandatory supervision. Defense counsel requested the court place Coleman on probation or impose the low term, and the prosecutor requested the upper term of four years.

The court found Coleman was not suitable for probation for “numerous reasons”

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