People v. Etress

341 P.2d 384, 171 Cal. App. 2d 682, 1959 Cal. App. LEXIS 1884
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 2, 1959
DocketCrim. No. 6484
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 341 P.2d 384 (People v. Etress) 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. Etress, 341 P.2d 384, 171 Cal. App. 2d 682, 1959 Cal. App. LEXIS 1884 (Cal. Ct. App. 1959).

Opinion

WHITE, P. J.

The Grand Jury of Los Angeles County returned an indictment wherein defendant was charged with a violation of section 11500 of the Health and Safety Code, a felony, in that on or about March 14, 1958, he unlawfully sold a narcotic, to wit, heroin. A prior felony conviction of the crime of escape was also alleged. Defendant pleaded not guilty and denied the alleged prior conviction. Trial by jury was duly waived. By stipulation, the People’s ease was submitted on the transcript of the testimony taken before the grand jury, each side reserving the right to offer additional evidence. After the court had read the grand jury transcript and heard additional evidence, defendant was adjudged guilty of the offense charged in the indictment. His motion for a new trial was denied, and he was sentenced to state prison. No finding was made on the prior conviction of the crime of escape. Prom the judgment and the order denying his motion for a new trial, defendant prosecutes this appeal.

As to the factual background of this prosecution, the record reveals that at approximately 6 o’clock on the evening of March 14, 1958, Los Angeles City Police Officer George Renty, [684]*684attached to the narcotics detail had a transaction with defendant, when the former met the latter on Central Avenue near 43rd Street in the city of Los Angeles. The officer approached defendant and asked him, “What’s happening man?”, to which defendant replied, “Man, do I know you?” The officer replied, “Man, you know you’ve seen me around here on the avenue.” At this point, according to the officer’s testimony, the defendant “seemed to recognize me” and said, “Oh, yeah, I remember you now. What do you need?” Thereupon, the officer said, “I only have ten dollars, so let me have one of those ten dollar things.” Defendant thereupon took a small green balloon from his mouth and Officer Renty gave him 10 dollars in change for it. This balloon was taken to the Central Police Station, marked and booked as evidence. There was white powder in the balloon at the time it was received. Officer Renty initialed the balloon, and placed it, together with its contents, in a small vial container. He placed the vial container in a small manila envelope which in turn was placed in a larger manila envelope marked “Grand Jury Exhibit 49-1. ’ ’ Then, he sealed the envelope with red sealing wax and placed his fingerprint on the seal.

On March 20,1958, Police Officer Jack Olin Carter, a qualified forensic chemist of the Scientific Investigation Division of the Los Angeles Police Department, received the sealed envelope marked “Grand Jury Exhibit 49-1.” He opened it by cutting around the red seal with a pair of scissors and removed the contents, a small manila envelope containing a small glass vial, and within the glass vial a blue balloon tip. The balloon tip was found to contain approximately four grains of a white powder. Officer Carter subjected samples of this powder to a series of chemical and microscopic tests, and as a result of these tests formed the opinion that the white powder contained the narcotic commonly referred to as heroin.

Sworn as a witness in his own behalf defendant testified that at no time did he deliver a blue balloon to Officer Renty at or near Central Avenue and 43rd Street, or to anyone else. He denied he ever saw the officer until April 19, 1958, the day he was arrested. That he was acquainted with the vicinity of Central Avenue and 43rd Street, but went there only occasionally. When defendant was arrested on April 19, 1958, he was taken to the.Poliee Administration Building where he had a conversation with Officer Renty, Officer Frederiekson, and other officers. A tape recording of that conversation was played in the courtroom at defendant’s request. Defendant [685]*685testified that the tape recording was incomplete and did not record that one of the officers stated that, “I had an umbrella and I wore boots” and also there was no recording of the statement by one of the officers that a certain Yocum Smith was involved in the transaction. Defendant denied that he ever uses an umbrella or wears boots or that he was acquainted with Yocum Smith.

Appellant first contends that the evidence, consisting of an exhibit (blue balloon containing heroin) is totally insufficient to connect him with the crime charged for the reason that Officer Renty who made the purchase, in his testimony, described the color of the balloon allegedly purchased from appellant as “green,” and when the balloon was introduced into evidence, it proved to be “blue” in color. Under cross-examination, Officer Renty admitted testifying that he had purchased a “green” balloon from defendant, and that when produced at the trial, it appeared to be a “greenish-blue.” The following further cross-examination ensued:

“Q. What is the color of this balloon as you see it? A. Blue.
“Q. Blue, that is correct. This is not the balloon you got from Mr. Stress that date? A. Yes, it is.
“Q. You testified the balloon you got from him is green and this one is blue. How do you account for the difference ? A. It looked green to me.
“Q. It looked green on that day but today it does not look green; is that right ? A. That is correct.
“Q. Why do you indicate it is the same balloon if it looked green on that day and today it looks blue ? A. I initialed the balloon.
“Q. You were working on several eases during that time, were you not? A. Yes.
“Q. This was part of a mass roundup and you initialed several balloons? A. That is correct.
“Q. Some red and blue and green, some orange; is that correct? A. That is correct.
“Q. The only thing, in other words, that connects this balloon in your mind with Mr. Stress is the initials RO? You don’t have a date on this balloon, do you, on the balloon itself? A. Not on the balloon itself.
“Q. And you don’t have an identification as to the defendant on the balloon, do you ? A. No.
“Q. And you said on the day in question the balloon you allegedly received from this defendant was green; that is what [686]*686you testified to before the Grand Jury, is that correct? A. That is correct.
“Q. Was this balloon that you see here that has been introduced in evidence—this is blue? A. Yes, it looks blue.”

An unbroken line of authorities support the statement that an appellate tribunal may not retry a cause, reweigh the evidence or determine the credibility of witnesses. These are functions which rest exclusively with the duly constituted arbiter of the facts whose duty it is to resolve conflicts in the evidence. (People v. Flummerfelt, 153 Cal.App.2d 104, 106 [313 P.2d 912].) As was said in People v. Newland, 15 Cal.2d 678, 681 [104 P.2d 778] : “We must assume in favor of the verdict the existence of every fact which the jury could have reasonably deduced from the evidence, and then determine whether such facts are sufficient to support the verdict.

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Related

People v. Graham
191 Cal. App. 2d 521 (California Court of Appeal, 1961)

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Bluebook (online)
341 P.2d 384, 171 Cal. App. 2d 682, 1959 Cal. App. LEXIS 1884, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-etress-calctapp-1959.