People v. Fabricant

91 Cal. App. 3d 706, 154 Cal. Rptr. 340, 1979 Cal. App. LEXIS 1616
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 6, 1979
DocketCrim. 32464
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 91 Cal. App. 3d 706 (People v. Fabricant) 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. Fabricant, 91 Cal. App. 3d 706, 154 Cal. Rptr. 340, 1979 Cal. App. LEXIS 1616 (Cal. Ct. App. 1979).

Opinions

[709]*709Opinion

KAUS, P. J.

Following a preliminary hearing, defendant was charged in a four-count information with violations of Penal Code section 12021 (possession of a firearm by,an ex-convict), section 236 (false imprisonment), section 242 (misdemeanor batteiy), and section 417 (brandishing a firearm). After a motion under Penal Code section 995, all charges except the section 12021 count were dismissed.

Defendant then made a motion purportedly under the authority of Evidence Code section 402, in which he asked the court to make a preliminary ruling on the validity of his proposed defense — “threats and menaces” (See CALJIC No. 4.40) — as applied to the charged offense. The court held that the proposed defense was not available against a charge of violation of Penal Code section 12021, but it further ruled that defendant could call witnesses to establish the “defense” solely “for purposes of [the] record on appeal.”

Defendant waived his right to trial by jury and submitted the matter on the transcript of the preliminary hearing with the addition of testimony from defense witnesses. The court found defendant guilty as charged. After a probation and sentencing hearing at which several witnesses for the People testified, defendant was sentenced to the state prison. Throughout the above proceedings defendant acted as his own counsel.

Facts

The facts are relatively simple. At about noon on January 30, 1977, defendant was seen to arrive at 15734 Saticoy Street where a pickup truck was parked in the driveway of the residence and a young man was. standing next to the truck. Defendant dragged the young man onto the porch of the house and,, while his dog kept watch over the man, disappeared into the house. He returned with a handgun which he pointed at the man. Defendant then looked behind some nearby bushes, spoke to the man, and helped him push the truck into the street. Defendant was an ex-convict.

The defense presented evidence that Sidney Fabricant, defendant’s father, resided at the house at 15734 Saticoy Street. Mr. Fabricant, Sr., had been the victim of an armed robbery at his home on January 5, 1977, about three and a half weeks earlier. One of the three robbers had asked Fabricant, Sr., where his son Danny was and had stated, “ ‘We are going [710]*710to get him, we are going to shoot him because he is no good. He ripped off our friend.’ ” The three robbers were at large until some time after January 30, when one of them was arrested and confessed to the robbery.

Defendant testified in his own defense that when he arrived at his father’s house on January 30 he feared that the stranger parked in the driveway was connected with the robbers who had threatened his life earlier that month. He believed that his life was in danger. He went into the house to look for a weapon and found the .22 caliber pistol in a dresser drawer being used by his girlfriend, Tina De Farlo. After defendant had assured himself that the man outside was there simply because the clutch on his truck had broken, defendant put down the gun and helped him push his truck out into the street. Tina De Farlo testified that the gun was hers and that defendant did not know she had it.

Discussion

1. Compliance with Penal Code sections 859 and 866.5.

Defendant first contends, as he did at his motion to dismiss the information under Penal Code section 995, that he was unlawfully committed to the superior court because the magistrate failed to comply with Penal Code sections 8591 and 866.5.2 (1) At the outset, it is clear that section 866.5 has no application to the present case. That section, by its terms, is operative only where the defendant is “examined” at the preliminary examination, i.e., where he himself appears as a witness. (People v. Gaynor (1963) 223 Cal.App.2d 575, 579-580 [36 Cal.Rptr. 219].) Since defendant did not testify at the preliminaiy hearing, section 866.5 is simply inapplicable.

Nor can we conclude from the limited record before us3 that there was a failure by the magistrate to comply with section [711]*711859. The purpose of section 859 is “to assure that the accused is afforded every reasonable opportunity to secure and be represented by counsel of his own choice” before the preliminary hearing is begun. (People v. Terry (1962) 57 Cal.2d 538, 554 [21 Cal.Rptr. 185, 370 P.2d 985].) Defendant’s preliminary hearing was held on May 31, 1977. The municipal court docket sheet reflects that on February 28, 1977, and on March 1, 1977, defendant was “informed of the charge against him and of his right to the aid of counsel at every stage of the proceedings.” On March 1, defendant was “given time to secure counsel and did not.” On April 19, 1977, defendant was “personally advised of his constitutional rights.” Before the preliminary hearing, defendant was again told that he was “entitled to have an attorney of [his] own choosing through all of these proceedings;” and that if he “[did] not have one or [could not] afford one the court [would] appoint one from the office of the Public Defender. . . .” Defendant stated that he understood the rights which had just been read to him and then proceeded to represent himself at the hearing.

It is true that the record does not affirmatively show that the magistrate at any point in time actually asked defendant, as section 859 requires, whether he desired counsel. (See People v. Diaz (1962) 206 Cal.App.2d 651, 661 [24 Cal.Rptr. 367], disapproved on other grounds in People v. Perez (1965) 62 Cal.2d 769, 776 [44 Cal.Rptr. 401 P.2d 934].) However, nothing in the statute requires that the inquiry be made at the preliminary hearing itself4 and, in fact, the interests of efficient administration of justice suggest that the matter should be settled well in advance of that hearing so that counsel can be prepared to represent his client effectively. The lack of a complete record on this matter is, as we noted earlier (see fn. 3, ante), solely the fault of defendant, who chose, presumably for his own strategic reasons, not to make the transcripts of the earlier oral proceedings part of the record. In their absence, we cannot presume error. (See People v. Scott (1944) 24 Cal.2d 774, 777 [151 P.2d 517].)

[712]*7122. Failure of trial court to give Faretta warnings.

Although defendant bears the burden of furnishing a record which shows that the section 995 motion was erroneously denied, the burden is on the People to show that defendant was “. . . made aware of the dangers and disadvantages of self-representation, so that the record will establish that ‘he knows what he is doing and his choice is made with eyes open.’ [Citation.]” (Faretta v. California (1975) 422 U.S. 806, 835 [45 L.Ed.2d 562, 582, 95 S.Ct. 2525].) The exact scope of the warnings required by Faretta has been the subject of discussion in various appellate opinions. In People v. Lopez (1977) 71 Cal.App.3d 568, 572-574 [138 Cal.Rptr.

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People v. Fabricant
91 Cal. App. 3d 706 (California Court of Appeal, 1979)

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Bluebook (online)
91 Cal. App. 3d 706, 154 Cal. Rptr. 340, 1979 Cal. App. LEXIS 1616, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-fabricant-calctapp-1979.