People v. Gobin CA2/1

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 3, 2023
DocketB315920
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Gobin CA2/1 (People v. Gobin CA2/1) 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. Gobin CA2/1, (Cal. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

Filed 4/3/23 P. v. Gobin CA2/1 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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

SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION ONE

THE PEOPLE, B315920

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. KA120917) v.

BRYAN CHRISTOPHER GOBIN,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from an order of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Rogelio G. Delgado, Judge. Affirmed. Richard B. Lennon, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Susan Sullivan Pithey, Assistant Attorney General, Jason Tran and Kristen J. Inberg, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. ____________________________ THE COURT.

Defendant and appellant Bryan Christopher Gobin appeals from the trial court’s order denying his motion to withdraw his plea of no contest to a stalking charge. He requests this court “reverse the lower court’s denial of his motion and remand the matter to allow appellant to withdraw his plea.” Penal Code1 section 1018, the basis of defendant’s motion to withdraw his plea, provides in pertinent part: “On application of the defendant at any time before judgment or within six months after an order granting probation is made if entry of judgment is suspended, the court may, and in case of a defendant who appeared without counsel at the time of the plea the court shall, for a good cause shown, permit the plea of guilty to be withdrawn and a plea of not guilty substituted. . . . This section shall be liberally construed to effect these objects and to promote justice.” (§ 1018.) Defendant correctly argues that a factor overcoming the free exercise of judgment is good cause to withdraw a plea (People v. Cruz (1974) 12 Cal.3d 562, 566), but fails to show the trial court abused its discretion in concluding that defendant did not meet that standard. Although there was some evidence that a few days before his plea, defendant’s “linear” thinking was diminished, the trial court was not required to credit that testimony and there was conflicting evidence, which the trial court could have credited. The record supports defendant’s assertion that he suffered from one or more mental illnesses

 Rothschild, P. J., Bendix, J., Weingart, J. 1 Undesignated statutory citations are to the Penal Code.

2 (which the mental health court twice found did not render him mentally incompetent), but not his conclusion that his mental illness overcame his free exercise of judgment. We affirm the trial court’s order.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND On May 6, 2019, the People filed a complaint against defendant. On the same day, the trial court appointed a public defender to represent defendant. On October 10, 2019, the trial court declared a doubt as to defendant’s mental competency and suspended proceedings. A defendant is incompetent to stand trial if he or she lacks a “ ‘ “ ‘ “sufficient present ability to consult with his lawyer with a reasonable degree of rational understanding—[or lacks] . . . a rational as well as a factual understanding of the proceedings against him.” ’ [Citations.]” [Citation.]’ [Citation.]” (People v. Mai (2013) 57 Cal.4th 986, 1032.) On October 25, 2019, the mental health court found defendant mentally competent, and criminal proceedings resumed. This case involved at least four different judicial officers. The judicial officer who denied defendant’s motion to withdraw his plea was not the same one who took the plea. This case also involved at least four defense attorneys.

1. Information On February 4, 2020, the People filed an information alleging one count of criminal threats and one count of stalking. Defendant’s now ex-wife was the alleged victim of both counts. That same day, defendant pleaded not guilty to both counts.

3 2. Defendant successfully petitions for mental health diversion On February 26, 2020, defendant filed a petition to be placed on mental health diversion pursuant to section 1001.36. 2

2 Section 1001.36 provides in pertinent part: “(b) A defendant is eligible for pretrial diversion pursuant to this section if both of the following criteria are met: [¶] (1) The defendant has been diagnosed with a mental disorder as identified in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, including, but not limited to, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder, but excluding antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, and pedophilia. Evidence of the defendant’s mental disorder shall be provided by the defense and shall include a diagnosis or treatment for a diagnosed mental disorder within the last five years by a qualified mental health expert. In opining that a defendant suffers from a qualifying disorder, the qualified mental health expert may rely on an examination of the defendant, the defendant’s medical records, arrest reports, or any other relevant evidence. “(2) The defendant’s mental disorder was a significant factor in the commission of the charged offense. If the defendant has been diagnosed with a mental disorder, the court shall find that the defendant’s mental disorder was a significant factor in the commission of the offense unless there is clear and convincing evidence that it was not a motivating factor, causal factor, or contributing factor to the defendant’s involvement in the alleged offense. A court may consider any relevant and credible evidence, including, but not limited to, police reports, preliminary hearing transcripts, witness statements, statements by the defendant’s mental health treatment provider, medical records, records or reports by qualified medical experts, or evidence that the

4 In the context of that motion, defendant described the facts underlying the charges as follows: After defendant’s ex-wife requested a divorce, defendant sent her 800 to 1,000 text messages. In one of them, defendant wrote, “If you are thinking of taking legal action, I will put a $100,000 on your head to make your life a miserable hell.” In an e-mail to another person, defendant “wrote about working on a bounty killer start-up and burning down” a city. In the context of requesting mental health diversion, defendant represented that he suffers from a “bipolar 1 disorder,” and that his mental health symptoms that motivated his criminal behavior would respond to mental health treatment. A clinical and forensic psychologist who evaluated defendant reported that defendant texted his ex-wife because she sent a process server, which defendant believed “ ‘kicked up my PTSD [post traumatic stress disorder] response . . . .’ ” Defendant “admitted that he was having paranoid thoughts about his ex-wife.” Defendant reported having ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) but then also reported, “ ‘I don’t really think that I have ADHD. I went to a chiropractor, got an adjustment. I felt awesome. Happy.’ ” Defendant previously had received mental health treatment and, in 2018, was undergoing treatment for depression and anxiety, and, in 2019, he participated in outpatient therapy. Defendant reported to the psychologist that he was “ ‘appalled’ ” by the text messages he had sent to his ex-wife.

defendant displayed symptoms consistent with the relevant mental disorder at or near the time of the offense.”

5 The psychologist concluded defendant suffered from bipolar disorder, with a manic episode.

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Related

The People v. Mai
305 P.3d 1175 (California Supreme Court, 2013)
People v. McGarvy
142 P.2d 92 (California Court of Appeal, 1943)
People v. Boyles
191 Cal. App. 2d 78 (California Court of Appeal, 1961)
People v. Cruz
526 P.2d 250 (California Supreme Court, 1974)
People v. Perez
233 Cal. App. 4th 736 (California Court of Appeal, 2015)
People v. Dillard
8 Cal. App. 5th 657 (California Court of Appeal, 2017)
People v. Patterson
391 P.3d 1169 (California Supreme Court, 2017)
People v. Farwell
419 P.3d 913 (California Supreme Court, 2018)
People v. Morelos
514 P.3d 811 (California Supreme Court, 2022)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
People v. Gobin CA2/1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-gobin-ca21-calctapp-2023.