People v. Grijalva

121 P.2d 32, 48 Cal. App. 2d 690, 1941 Cal. App. LEXIS 865
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 23, 1941
DocketCrim. 3507
StatusPublished
Cited by36 cases

This text of 121 P.2d 32 (People v. Grijalva) 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. Grijalva, 121 P.2d 32, 48 Cal. App. 2d 690, 1941 Cal. App. LEXIS 865 (Cal. Ct. App. 1941).

Opinion

YORK, P. J.

Appellant was found guilty by a jury of violations of section 11160 of the Health and Safety Code, as charged in an information containing two counts, to-wit: (1) of selling, furnishing or giving away marihuana on or about February 27, 1941; (2) a similar offense committed at a later date. This appeal is taken from the judgment of conviction, from the order denying application for probation and from the sentence.

No appeal lies from the sentence (People v. Dunlap, 12 Cal. App. (2d) 333, 336 [55 Pac. (2d) 522]), and the order denying the application for probation is not appeal-able, it having been made before judgment (People v. Brock, 21 Cal. App. (2d) 601, 604 [70 Pac. (2d) 210].)

Appellant urges that the verdict is contrary to the law and the evidence and is not supported by competent evidence ; that because of prejudice of the trial court, error was committed in the pronouncement of sentence and in the denial of appellant’s application for probation; and that the court acted without jurisdiction in pronouncing the judgment and sentence.

The evidence presented by the prosecution reveals that officer Simmons of the Narcotic Division of the Los Angeles Police Department was introduced to appellant on February 27, 1941, by a man named Willis, who was acquainted with appellant, and who told officer Simmons that appellant “would be in a position to maker proper connections.” Said officer and appellant drove to a place designated by the latter and after considerable discussion the officer gave appellant $5 “to go and get the marihuana from the particular con *692 nection where he was going.” A short time thereafter appellant returned in company with one Ramon Contreras, and handed officer Simmons a package containing twenty cigarettes (People’s Exhibit 1) which was identified by said officer by markings which he had made thereon. The police chemist testified that these were marihuana cigarettes.

It was testified by officer Simmons that he again saw appellant on March 6, 1941, the date on which it is alleged the second offense was committed. On this occasion said officer again gave appellant $5, but this time asked for a can rather than for cigarettes. Appellant returned in about half an hour and “said he was sorry he could not get a can but he could get me sticks which would be the same as cigarettes, the term for cigarettes.” After an interval and some conversation, appellant returned and gave said officer “two packages of sticks . . . twenty cigarettes,” which, when introduced in evidence, were marked “3-6-41” together with the initials of officer Simmons.

At a later date, testified by officer Simmons as being “on Sunday morning about 10 o’clock the 30th of March of this year,” officer Smith accompanied officer Simmons to a meeting place with appellant, where officer Simmons talked to appellant and spoke about the good quality of the marihuana appellant had furnished theretofore. At this time officer Simmons gave appellant $6 in the presence of officer Smith, and appellant left to obtain a can of marihuana. On this occasion appellant failed to obtain the drug and officer Simmons called the police department and had officers Chitwood and Kearney come out and place appellant under arrest.

Officer Chitwood testified to a conversation with appellant after his arrest, to-wit:

“We arrested the defendant at—down on Stanford Avenue—that is, on Pico near Stanford, I should say, and had him brought into the office. This was about 7:15 p. m., I believe. When he saw Simmons—I introduced Simmons to him as an officer, and I said, ‘Do you recall selling some marihuana cigarettes?’ and mentioned the date to him, ‘to this officer here?’ ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I remember selling them, but I wasn’t in the business.’ Ee said, ‘I just sold them for another fellow on commission;’ and he said, ‘I needed a little money, I wanted to make 50 cents for myself to buy *693 a drink or something like that, so I sold the marihuana. ’ As I recall, I then asked him about the time that the two officers testified to, regarding the sale of six dollars worth, and he laughed and said, ‘Well, I just meant to take them for that $6.00’.”

As a defense witness, appellant produced Ramon Contreras who, according to officer Simmons’ testimony, was present when appellant made the first delivery of marihuana cigarettes to him. In testifying for the defense, Contreras stated the first time he had ever seen officer Simmons was in the county jail on April 8, 1941, subsequent to the time the offenses here charged were committed. On cross-examination, however, Contreras admitted that he had been convicted of selling narcotics and that the officers who testified against him were officers Simmons and Smith.

Appellant took the stand in his own defense and denied ever having had any marihuana in his possession or of ever having known any of the officers prior to the time of his arrest.

Appellant argues that there is no evidence that he made a sale of marihuana, and that if he did make a sale the evidence discloses the defense of entrapment.

It was shown by the prosecution that the officer gave appellant $5 on two different occasions and on each occasion appellant returned and gave to the officer twenty marihuana cigarettes, ^n each transaction appellant took the money of the officer, obtained the cigarettes and delivered them to said officer. This constituted a sale.

On the question of entrapment, it was stated in the case of People v. Rucker, 121 Cal. App. 361, 364 [8 Pac. (2d) 938]:

“The appellant claims that he was entrapped. The evidence furnishing the basis for this argument is to the effect that one Aristo introduced one Robinson, a police officer, to the defendant that Robinson thereupon asked defendant for some morphine. The defendant left the officer and Aristo, brought some of the forbidden drug and gave it to Robinson in exchange for ten dollars. In People v. Harris, 80 Cal. App. 328 [251 Pac. 823], the defendant was asked to sell liquor to one of the arresting officers, and we held that there was nothing to authorize the jury in believing that the defendant was inveigled into the commission of the crime, or *694 that the officers had been, the procuring cause or instigators of the criminal intent. That authority forecloses appellant’s argument.”

In the case of People v. Lee, 9 Cal. App. (2d) 99, 109 [48 Pac. (2d) 1003], the court stated on the same subject: “It is our understanding that the defense of entrapment is a positive defense imposing upon an accused the burden of showing that he was induced to commit the act for which he is being prosecuted. The invocation of the defense necessarily assumes that the act charged as a public offense was committed. The record shows that both appellant and his wife testified in his behalf during the trial. Neither of these witnesses at any time admitted that appellant made the sales or either of them. On the contrary, both denied that any sale was made or that appellant had any narcotics in his possession.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

People v. Dinkel
541 P.2d 898 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1975)
Higby v. State
485 P.2d 380 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1971)
People v. Brocklehurst
14 Cal. App. 3d 473 (California Court of Appeal, 1971)
People v. Valverde
246 Cal. App. 2d 318 (California Court of Appeal, 1966)
State v. Moraga
403 P.2d 289 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1965)
People v. Marsden
234 Cal. App. 2d 796 (California Court of Appeal, 1965)
People v. Perez
401 P.2d 934 (California Supreme Court, 1965)
People v. Gutierrez
207 Cal. App. 2d 529 (California Court of Appeal, 1962)
People v. Hensling
205 Cal. App. 2d 34 (California Court of Appeal, 1962)
People v. Richards
198 Cal. App. 2d 465 (California Court of Appeal, 1961)
People v. McDonough
198 Cal. App. 2d 84 (California Court of Appeal, 1961)
People v. Chavez
184 Cal. App. 2d 741 (California Court of Appeal, 1960)
People v. Jones
176 Cal. App. 2d 743 (California Court of Appeal, 1959)
People v. Bernal
345 P.2d 140 (California Court of Appeal, 1959)
People v. Bryant
321 P.2d 45 (California Court of Appeal, 1958)
People v. Richardson
313 P.2d 651 (California Court of Appeal, 1957)
People v. Williams
304 P.2d 100 (California Court of Appeal, 1956)
People v. Caudillo
291 P.2d 191 (California Court of Appeal, 1955)
People v. Terry
282 P.2d 19 (California Supreme Court, 1955)
People v. Bradford
279 P.2d 561 (California Court of Appeal, 1955)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
121 P.2d 32, 48 Cal. App. 2d 690, 1941 Cal. App. LEXIS 865, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-grijalva-calctapp-1941.