People v. Gillean CA6

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 3, 2021
DocketH045860
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Gillean CA6 (People v. Gillean CA6) 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. Gillean CA6, (Cal. Ct. App. 2021).

Opinion

Filed 9/3/21 P. v. Gillean CA6 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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

SIXTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

THE PEOPLE, H045860 (Santa Clara County Plaintiff and Respondent, Super. Ct. No. C1758465)

v.

BRIAN GILLEAN,

Defendant and Appellant.

A jury convicted defendant of reckless driving while evading police, driving against traffic during a pursuit, and driving on a suspended license. He argues on appeal that the trial court committed prejudicial evidentiary and instructional error related to the pursuing officer’s identification of defendant, and that the prosecutor committed prejudicial misconduct in closing argument. He also argues that his sentence for driving against traffic while evading an officer should be stayed under Penal Code section 654, and that a one-year prior prison term enhancement must be stricken in light of new sentencing laws. We reject the arguments related to defendant’s trial, but agree with his sentencing arguments. We will modify the judgment to stay execution of sentence for driving against traffic to evade an officer, and strike the one-year enhancement. As modified, we will affirm the judgment. I. BACKGROUND A California Highway Patrol officer was monitoring the Central Expressway carpool lane when a male driver passed him in a Honda Prelude. The officer pulled his motorcycle in behind the Prelude, and the driver, whom the officer later identified as defendant, failed to yield to the officer’s lights and siren. Defendant then led the officer on a five- to seven-minute high-speed chase during the Silicon Valley rush hour. Defendant drove on shoulders, across multiple lanes of traffic, against traffic, at unsafe speeds, and with disregard for the safety of other drivers. Due to the danger posed by defendant’s driving, the officer ended his pursuit and instead drove to the San Jose address where the car was registered to a female sharing defendant’s surname. Neither the car, the registered owner, nor defendant were at the residence. The officer spoke with the property owner who related that defendant had left in the Prelude about an hour earlier. The officer returned to his office, where he viewed a DMV photo of defendant and recognized him as the driver. He also learned that defendant’s driver’s license was suspended. Defendant was charged with reckless driving while evading police (Veh. Code, § 2800.2, subd. (a); count 1), driving against traffic while evading a pursuing officer (Veh. Code, § 2800.4; count 2), and misdemeanor driving on a revoked or suspended license (Veh. Code, § 14601.1, subd. (a); count 3). The information alleged defendant had served a prior prison term within the meaning of former subdivision (b) of Penal Code section 667.5. At trial, defendant moved in limine to exclude the property owner’s hearsay statement regarding his driving the car. The prosecutor explained that he was unable to locate the owner, whom he believed had passed away, and the statement was admissible for the non-hearsay purpose of the effect on the listener. The court suggested the prosecutor elicit what the officer did next “without getting into the statement.” The court advised that the officer could say “that he showed up, spoke to the landlady about the car, after he spoke to the landlady, then he went to the DMV and looked up the defendant’s name and then got this photograph.” Consistent with that discussion, the officer testified that after terminating his pursuit, he went to the address where the car was registered, 2 spoke with the property owner, and developed a potential lead on defendant as a suspect. He then obtained a photo of defendant from DMV and recognized the man in the photo as the person driving the Prelude. A jury found defendant guilty, and the trial court found true the prior prison term allegation. Defendant was sentenced to three years imprisonment, composed of concurrent two-year terms on counts 1 and 2, plus one year for the prior prison term enhancement, and to time served on the misdemeanor. II. DISCUSSION A. PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT Defendant argues the prosecutor committed prejudicial misconduct during his rebuttal argument by suggesting to the jury that he had been prevented from presenting evidence that defendant had previously driven the car because it was inadmissible propensity evidence. A prosecutor commits misconduct by using “ ‘deceptive or reprehensible methods to attempt to persuade either the court or the jury.’ ” (People v. Lopez (2013) 56 Cal.4th 1028, 1072.) In closing argument, “[p]rosecuting attorneys are allowed a ‘wide range of descriptive comment’ and their ‘ “ ‘argument may be vigorous as long as it amounts to fair comment on the evidence, which can include reasonable inferences, or deductions to be drawn therefrom.’ ” ’ ” (People v. Martinez (2010) 47 Cal.4th 911, 957.) Misconduct under state law is reviewed for a reasonable probability of a more favorable outcome to the defendant but for the misconduct. (People v. Riggs (2008) 44 Cal.4th 248, 298; People v. Watson (1956) 46 Cal.2d 818, 836.) “[W]hen the claim focuses upon comments made by the prosecutor before the jury, the question is whether there is a reasonable likelihood that the jury construed or applied any of the complained- of remarks in an objectionable fashion.” (People v. Morales (2001) 25 Cal.4th 34, 44.) Reviewing courts “ ‘ “do not lightly infer” that the jury drew the most damaging rather than the least damaging meaning from the prosecutor’s statements.’ ” (People v. Brown 3 (2003) 31 Cal.4th 518, 553–554.) Misconduct rising to the level of federal constitutional error is reviewed for prejudice under Chapman v. California (1967) 386 U.S. 18. (People v. Sanchez (2014) 228 Cal.App.4th 1517, 1534.) Misconduct that does not result in the denial of a defendant’s specific constitutional rights “is not a constitutional violation unless the challenged action ‘ “so infected the trial with unfairness as to make the resulting conviction a denial of due process.” ’ ” (People v. Riggs, supra, at p. 298.) The prosecutor argued to the jury that the case was not “an eyewitness testimony case” but a case testing the officer’s credibility. He argued the officer was alert, trained, paying attention, and viewed defendant several times, and the officer’s positive identification was corroborated by evidence showing defendant shared a surname and address with the vehicle’s registered owner. He also argued the fact that defendant’s license was suspended at the time was motive for his conduct. Defendant’s attorney countered that the officer may have been credible, but he did not have a “super human memory” and he made a mistake. He argued that the officer’s photo identification was not reliable because procedures used for civilian witness identification were not used; and in court the officer was remembering not defendant but the photo of defendant. He argued that the officer had conducted an insufficient follow- up investigation by not leaving a voice message with the registered owner, not determining whether other family members had access to the car, and not determining whether defendant had access to the car or “had ever driven this car a single time in his life.” Counsel continued, “The district attorney wants you to believe that, well, [defendant] had a suspended driver’s license; so he somehow has motive to take the police on a deadly high-speed chase.

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Related

Chapman v. California
386 U.S. 18 (Supreme Court, 1967)
Simmons v. United States
390 U.S. 377 (Supreme Court, 1968)
Manson v. Brathwaite
432 U.S. 98 (Supreme Court, 1977)
People v. Lopez
301 P.3d 1177 (California Supreme Court, 2013)
People v. Beamon
504 P.2d 905 (California Supreme Court, 1973)
People v. Harrison
768 P.2d 1078 (California Supreme Court, 1989)
People v. Perez
591 P.2d 63 (California Supreme Court, 1979)
People v. Miller
558 P.2d 552 (California Supreme Court, 1977)
In Re Estrada
408 P.2d 948 (California Supreme Court, 1965)
People v. Watson
299 P.2d 243 (California Supreme Court, 1956)
People v. Cleveland
104 Cal. Rptr. 2d 641 (California Court of Appeal, 2001)
People v. Haskin
4 Cal. App. 4th 1434 (California Court of Appeal, 1992)
People v. Gutierrez
48 Cal. App. 4th 1894 (California Court of Appeal, 1996)
People v. Riggs
187 P.3d 363 (California Supreme Court, 2008)
People v. Brown
73 P.3d 1137 (California Supreme Court, 2003)
People v. Cunningham
25 P.3d 519 (California Supreme Court, 2001)
People v. Morales
18 P.3d 11 (California Supreme Court, 2001)
People v. Martinez
224 P.3d 877 (California Supreme Court, 2010)
People v. Navarro
151 P.3d 1177 (California Supreme Court, 2007)
People v. Dowdell
227 Cal. App. 4th 1388 (California Court of Appeal, 2014)

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People v. Gillean CA6, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-gillean-ca6-calctapp-2021.