People v. Dillard

335 P.2d 702, 168 Cal. App. 2d 158, 1959 Cal. App. LEXIS 2438
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 24, 1959
DocketCrim. 6211
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 335 P.2d 702 (People v. Dillard) 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. Dillard, 335 P.2d 702, 168 Cal. App. 2d 158, 1959 Cal. App. LEXIS 2438 (Cal. Ct. App. 1959).

Opinion

WHITE, P. J.

In an information filed by the district attorney of Los Angeles County, defendant was charged with a violation of section 11500, Health and Safety Code, in that on or about February 19, 1957, she unlawfully had in her possession flowering tops and leaves of Indian Hemp (eannibis sativa). It was further alleged that on September 28, 1954, defendant suffered a prior felony conviction for violation of section 11500 of the Health and Safety Code. Defendant pleaded not guilty and denied the prior conviction. Trial by jury was duly waived and the cause submitted on the transcript of the preliminary examination, each side reserving the right to offer additional evidence, and that all exhibits received at the preliminary examination be deemed received in evidence at the trial, subject to the court’s rulings thereon. Defendant was adjudged guilty as charged. Although no evidence was offered by the prosecution as to the prior conviction, on cross-examination, defendant admitted the same. While the court made no finding as to the prior, it appears that defendant was on probation therefor, and at the time judgment was rendered sentencing defendant to state prison, the court revoked the probation granted her on the previous conviction, and sentenced her to state prison, the sentence to run concurrently with the one pronounced in the instant action. From the judgment of conviction in the present case, defendant prosecutes this appeal.

The factual background surrounding this prosecution as revealed by the record is that at approximately 12:30 a. m. on the morning of February 19, 1957, Officers V. Jones and Douglas Roy MacGregor of the Los Angeles Police Department went to the residence of defendant, an apartment at 947 North Vendóme Street, in the city of Los Angeles. Officer MacGregor testified that “I received information from a confidential source that the defendant was using narcotics and had a quantity of narcotics in her possession.”
“Q. In your opinion was that information reliable? A. It has proven so in the past.
“Q. What do you mean by that, by past? A. I have used this informant on prior occasions.
“Q. Successfully ? A. And the information has proved reliable; yes, sir.
*161 “Q. All right. Was the defendant also known to you? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. In what way other than being a dancer, I take it? A. I have known the defendant for a period of approximately two years and I have known her as a narcotic user.
“At that particular time it was heroin.”

When they arrived at defendant’s apartment, the officers knocked several times on the door of the apartment but received no answer. They were able to observe that the wall fireplace was “going full blast” and formed the opinion that someone was in the apartment. They went to the manager’s apartment, identified themselves, explained the circumstances of the visit and asked him whether he would admit them to the apartment. The manager opened the apartment and the officers entered it in his company. A quantity of marihuana seeds was found on the bed. The officers left the apartment and awaited the return of defendant. The latter returned at 2:40 a. m. and was placed under arrest when she reached the front door of the apartment. The officers and appellant entered the apartment and a further search was made. When shown the marihuana seeds defendant asked, “What are they?” Subsequently she stated that some friends of hers had brought the marihuana to her apartment, “Manicured” it, and smoked it and left some for her own use. When questioned about a pipe she stated that she had not used it to smoke marihuana "for a couple of years. ” She indicated a quantity of marihuana concealed in the toe of a slipper hanging on the closet door.

Officer MacGregor testified further that he had known defendant for some two years prior to the arrest here in question, that when she arrived at her apartment he placed her under arrest. The officer also testified as follows:

“Q. And you put the handcuffs on her and told her she was under arrest ? A. I did.
‘ ‘ Q. And did you at that time demand the key to the apartment ? A. From her ?
“Q. Yes. A. Yes, sir.
“Q. She asked you if you had a warrant? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. And that she would not let you in unless you had a warrant; is that correct? A. That is correct.
“Q. What did you do after that when she refused to let you into the apartment ? A. I told her that if she refused to open the door to her apartment that we would only secure the key from the manager.
*162 “Q. And did you go to the manager? A. My partner did, sir.
“Q. And you or your partner opened the door and you went inside? A. I don’t recall whether it was myself or my partner. One of us did; yes, sir.
“Q. But all this time the defendant was demanding that you show a warrant before going into the apartment; is that correct? A. Yes, sir.” (Emphasis added.)

Sworn as a witness in her own behalf, defendant denied knowledge of the presence of the marihuana seeds on the bedspread and denied that she showed the officers any marihuana concealed in a slipper, denying all knowledge of its presence in her apartment.

Don William Andre who was with defendant at the time of her arrest corroborated her testimony concerning her demands that the officers show her a warrant and of their refusal to do so.

Defendant’s estranged husband Joseph Hamilton Dillard testified that on the night here in question he visited her at her apartment and that, “I had a big argument and fight with her about 8:30. I came over there to borrow a few dollars and she was going out to dinner with some friends, so she wouldn’t give me the money, and I yanked the purse out of her hand and everything, and she ended up giving me a couple of dollars—in fact, she ended up giving me about $5 and the landlord came up and broke the scene up and—you want me to go on with the whole story ? ’ ’ Then the following ensued:

‘ ‘ Q. No. I wanted to know what time it was when you came back the second time. A. The second time—well, she went downtown and I was pretty juiced up. I am not an alcoholic—
“Q. But you were under the influence, you think ? A. Yes.
“Q. What did you do while she was downtown ? A. Well, I used to work on Main Street for a year and a half down there at the Tip Top. I know a lot of people down there. So I went down there and I kept on staggering around until I ran into somebody and purchased some marijuana and then I went and planted it.
“Q. What do you mean you planted it? A. Well, I went back through the window—I had been through that window a couple of times before.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
335 P.2d 702, 168 Cal. App. 2d 158, 1959 Cal. App. LEXIS 2438, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-dillard-calctapp-1959.