People v. EscobarGodinez CA4/2

California Court of Appeal·Decided November 19, 2020·No. E071824·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 11/19/20 P. v. EscobarGodinez 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NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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, E071824 v. (Super.Ct.No. FVI17003477) ANGEL JACOBO ESCOBARGODINEZ, OPINION Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from the Superior Court of San Bernardino County. Corey G. Lee, Judge.

Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded with directions.

Kevin J. Lindsley, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant.

Xavier Becerra, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Julie L. Garland, Senior Assistant Attorney General, and Robin Urbanski and Mary Katherine Strickland, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

During a routine traffic stop, the police found roughly four pounds of methamphetamine in a false compartment in a car that defendant Angel Jacobo EscobarGodinez was driving. Defense counsel later argued that the evidence did not rule

out the possibility that defendant stole the car, unaware of either the false compartment or the methamphetamine.

In a jury trial, defendant was found guilty of one count of transportation of a controlled substance (Health and Saf. Code, § 11379, subd. (a)), with a weight enhancement (one kilogram or more) (Health and Saf. Code, § 11370.4, subd. (b)(1)), and one count of using a false compartment with the intent to transport a controlled substance (Health and Saf. Code, § 11366.8, subd. (a)). He was sentenced to a total of two years, to be served in county jail, followed by three years of mandatory supervision, along with the usual fines, fees, and ancillary orders.

Defendant now contends that:

(1) The trial court erred by denying defendant’s motion to suppress the methamphetamine.

(2) Defense counsel rendered ineffective assistance by filing a motion for new trial that was based on juror misconduct, yet failing to support it with sworn declarations from the jurors.

(3) The trial court erred by failing to consider striking the weight enhancement.

(4) The trial court violated Penal Code section 654 by imposing separate and unstayed sentences on both counts.

(5) The trial court erred by imposing fines and fees without determining whether defendant had the ability to pay them.

The People concede that the trial court violated Penal Code section 654. They further concede that a remand is required to allow the trial court to consider striking the weight enhancement. As we must remand in any event, we leave it up to the trial court to address defendant’s contention that it must consider his ability to pay any fines or fees imposed.

Otherwise, we find no error. Hence, we will affirm the conviction but remand for resentencing.

I

MOTION TO SUPPRESS

Defendant contends that the trial court erred by denying his motion to suppress the methamphetamine.

A. Additional Factual Background.

The evidence introduced at the hearing on the motion to suppress showed the following.

On December 20, 2017, around 10:15 a.m., San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Chavez and his narcotic detection dog Arrows were on the northbound I-15 freeway in Newberry Springs. Deputy Chavez noticed an SUV, with Nevada license plates, tailgating another vehicle; one of its brake lights was not working. He therefore stopped it.

Defendant was the driver. Deputy Chavez asked him for his license, registration, and proof of insurance. He seemed nervous.

Deputy Chavez asked defendant some questions, including about his travel and his work. Defendant said he lived in Las Vegas and did plumbing, drywall, and stereo work; he had come to Victorville to find work, but he had not been able to find any, so he was going back home.

Defendant gave Deputy Chavez the registration, which was in a different name. It had been renewed earlier that month. Defendant explained that he had purchased the car two months earlier, and he was making payments to the registered owner.

Deputy Chavez went back to his patrol car and did a records check. Meanwhile, defendant kept looking back at him and “reaching around” in his car. In Deputy Chavez’s opinion, this not only suggested that defendant was “trying to hide something in the car” but also “present[ed] an officer safety issue.”

Deputy Chavez asked defendant if there was anything illegal in the car and if anyone else had been driving it; defendant said no to both questions. Then, Deputy Chavez testified, “I asked him if I could search the entire car, and he said yes.” Deputy Chavez had defendant get out and stand in the dirt, off the shoulder.

During his search, Deputy Chavez saw an empty construction belt and an empty tool box, but he did not find any tools, such as a putty knife or a ladder, that would be needed for drywalling.

Deputy Chavez noticed aftermarket spot welds on the rear seat. He pushed down on the seat cushion and could feel something hard underneath. He then went around to the back of the car, pulled up the fabric on the back of the seat, and saw a house door

hinge that had been welded onto the sheet metal. When he “peel[ed] back” the hinge, he could see electrical wires running under the seat. He pried back a piece of the sheet metal and could see plastic-wrapped objects inside the seat.

Deputy Chavez had his dog Arrows sniff the car. Arrows alerted to the rear seat.

Deputy Chavez then used a pry tool to open up the seat. In it, he found four packages of what appeared to be drugs.

Between the initial stop and the records check, about five or ten minutes elapsed.

The records check took “[j]ust a few moments, probably no more than 5 minutes.” The search itself took “[a]bout 5 minutes.”

B. Additional Procedural Background.

Defendant filed a motion to suppress. He argued only that the search had been carried out without a warrant, and therefore the prosecution had the burden of showing that it was constitutional.

In their opposition, the prosecution argued that (1) Deputy Chavez had reasonable suspicion for the traffic stop, (2) the stop was not unduly prolonged, and (3) defendant consented to the search.

After an evidentiary hearing, the trial court denied the motion. It ruled that there was reasonable suspicion for the stop. It also ruled that defendant consented to the search. Finally, it ruled that the length of the detention was not unreasonable.

C. Discussion.

“‘In reviewing a trial court’s ruling on a motion to suppress evidence, we defer to that court’s factual findings, express or implied, if they are supported by substantial evidence. [Citation.] We exercise our independent judgment in determining whether, on the facts presented, the search or seizure was reasonable under the Fourth Amendment.’ [Citation.]” (People v. Silveria and Travis (2020) 10 Cal.5th 195, 232.)

1. The length of the detention.

Defendant argues that the search unduly prolonged the duration of the traffic stop.

As defendant does not dispute, there was probable cause for the stop, because he was seen breaking traffic laws. A traffic stop is justified if it is based on at least reasonable suspicion that the driver has violated the Vehicle Code or some other law. (Whren v. United States (1996) 517 U.S. 806, 810-816.)

A traffic stop, however, “must be temporary and last no longer than is necessary to effectuate the purpose of the stop.” (Florida v. Royer (1983) 460 U.S. 491, 500 [plur. opn. of White, J.].) “‘[I]nvestigative activities beyond the original purpose of a traffic stop, including warrant checks, are permissible as long as they do not prolong the stop beyond the time it would otherwise take. [Citations.]’” (People v. Gallardo (2005) 130 Cal.App.4th 234, 238.)

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