People v. Gray

276 P.2d 47, 128 Cal. App. 2d 688, 1954 Cal. App. LEXIS 1521
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 12, 1954
DocketCrim. No. 5176
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 276 P.2d 47 (People v. Gray) 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. Gray, 276 P.2d 47, 128 Cal. App. 2d 688, 1954 Cal. App. LEXIS 1521 (Cal. Ct. App. 1954).

Opinion

WOOD (Parker), J.

Defendant was charged, in two counts, with burglary. In a trial by jury he was found guilty, as to both counts, of burglary in the second degree. Defendant appeals from the judgment and from the order denying his motion for a new trial.

Appellant contends that the evidence is insufficient to support the verdict.

On the morning of June 18, 1953, Mr. Patton discovered that two boxes of tools had been removed from the garage at his residence at 2628 West 157th Street in Gardena. On the same morning, Mr. Barton discovered that all of his tools, a tool box and a jig saw had been removed from the garage at his residence at 2528 West 157th Street in Gardena. Mr. Patton testified that he had not been in his garage for three days prior to said June 18, but at that time the doors of the garage were closed; on the morning of June 18, one of the doors was partly open. Mr. Barton testified that he used his tools on the evening of June 17, 1953; when he left the garage the overhead door facing the alley was bolted from the inside, and he closed the door facing the yard but did not lock it; when he went to the garage about 7 a. m. on June 18, the overhead door was open. About 6 a. m. on June 18, 1953, a police officer saw an unoccupied Pontiac automobile, with its motor running, parked in the alley in front of the open overhead door of Mr. Barton’s garage. There was no license plate on the front of the automobile and the rear license plate was covered with a rag. The tools, tool boxes and jig saw which had been taken from the garages of Mr. Patton and Mr. Barton were in the automobile. Also a pair of men’s shoes was in the automobile. The automobile and the shoes belonged to defendant.

[690]*690Another police officer, called as a witness by the People, testified that about 6 a. m. on said June 18 he went to the vicinity of the 2600 block on West 157th Street in answer to a call. When he arrived he observed the Pontiac automobile parked in the alley in the rear of 2528 West 157th Street. He saw defendant running along the side of the house Avhich was next to 2528 West 157th Street. He (officer) said that he was a police officer, and he told the defendant to halt or he would shoot. Defendant then ran faster, “dove over” a gate into the front yard and disappeared. At the time he told defendant to halt, defendant was about 50 feet away and was looking directly at the officer. Defendant had a mustache and was wearing a maroon shirt, light brown pants, and blue socks but no shoes. About 20 minutes later, while he (officer) was cruising in the vicinity, he saw defendant between two houses in the 2500 block on West 155th Street. About 10 minutes after that the officer saw defendant as he (defendant) was coming out of the alley between 156th and 157th Streets. Defendant ran into the alley on the opposite side of the street and went over a fence. The officer saw defendant again about 6:45 a. m. on 156th Street at which time defendant disappeared between two houses. At one place the officer, who was in a police car, was approximately 35 feet behind defendant. The officer saw defendant that afternoon at the sheriff’s office.

Another witness, called by the People, testified that on said June 38 he lived at 2707 West 155th Street in Gardena. About 7 -.10 a. m. on that day he saw defendant across the street from his residence. Defendant was on his hands and knees at the side of a hedge. Defendant looked at him, then ran across the street between the two houses west of his (witness’) house and disappeared. At that time defendant had a mustache, was wearing a maroon shirt, but was not wearing shoes.

Another witness, called by the People, testified that on said June 18 she lived at 15332 Chanera Street in Gardena, which is three blocks from 157th Street, and in the neighborhood of the 2600 block. About 7:45 a. m. on that day, AArhile she was in her kitchen, she saw defendant walking through her yard and at that time he was about 10 feet from her. He walked very slowly, opened the gate slowly, looked up and down the street and then ran across the street. He had no shoes on and he was dressed in a rust-colored shirt, brown trousers and blue socks. At that time he had a mustache.

[691]*691■ An investigating officer, called as a witness by the People, testified that he talked with defendant about 2:45 p. m. on said June 18, and at that time defendant had no mustache. Defendant told him that he did not know where Gardena Park was; on the morning of June 17, he and his wife had an argument and he went to his sister’s home; that afternoon he went to a café, had several drinks, and stayed there until closing time; he then went to a restaurant nearby, had something to eat and went to his sister’s home; he arrived there about 3 a. m. and his sister let him in; the next morning he got up about 7:30 a. m. and noticed that his car was not in front of his sister’s home; he then called the police department and reported that his car was stolen. In a second conversation with defendant, in the presence of defendant’s sister, he (officer) asked defendant if his sister let him in her house on the morning of the 18th, and the sister said that she did not let him in. Defendant also told him that he was a painter and carried a pair of shoes in his car, and when his feet became tired he put on the good shoes. The officer testified further that defendant’s sister lived about 11 miles from the vicinity where the crimes were committed, and there was no direct streetcar or bus service between the two places.

An officer, called as a witness by defendant, testified that about 8:20 a. m. on said June 18 he received a call about a stolen automobile, and in response thereto he went to defendant’s home. He arrived there about 8:30 a. m. and took a “stolen-car report” from defendant regarding the Pontiac automobile (involved herein). At that time defendant was wearing a blue and white “checkered” shirt, brown trousers and paint-speckled shoes, and he had a mustache.

Defendant testified that on June 17, 1953, from 1 p. m. until approximately 7 p. m., he was drinking in a bar. He then went to his home and, finding no one there, he went to his sister’s home where he stayed until approximately 11 p. m. Then he returned to the bar where he remained until about midnight. Then he went to two bars and then he returned to the first bar where he continued drinking until 2 a. m. Then he went, with the bartender and another man, to a café across the street from the bar and had a cup of coffee, and then he drove to his sister’s home. He thought that somebody let him in but he had a key and could have opened the door himself. The next morning a friend telephoned him about playing golf, and he told the friend to go back to bed—that it was still night. About 8 a. m., his [692]*692sister awakened Mm, and he discovered that Ms car was missing. He is a painter and he • usually carries a pair of shoes in his car for the reason that while painting he splashes paint on the shoes he is wearing, and also after standing for 10 hours in the same pair of shoes his feet hurt, and he changes into a more comfortable pair. He had no mustache on “November [June] ” 17 or 18, and at that time he wore light pants and black shoes. The license plate came off the front of his car while he was pushing another car. He did not put it back because he had no bolts. He did not cover the rear license place of his car with a rag—“Not intentionally. ’ ’

Defendant’s sister, called as a witness by defendant, testified that on the evening of June 17, 1953, defendant left her home about 11 p.

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Bluebook (online)
276 P.2d 47, 128 Cal. App. 2d 688, 1954 Cal. App. LEXIS 1521, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-gray-calctapp-1954.