People v. Gronvold CA2/7

California Court of Appeal·Decided July 21, 2014·No. B247235·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 7/21/14 P. v. Gronvold CA2/7 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 SEVEN

THE PEOPLE, B247235

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. MA048581) v.

DANIEL MARTIN GRONVOLD,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Lisa M. Chung, Judge. Affirmed. Thomas K. Macomber and Renée Paradis, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Dane R. Gillette, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Margaret E. Maxwell and Stephanie C. Santoro, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. __________________ 1 Penal Code section 2933.1, subdivisions (a) and (c), limit a defendant’s worktime credits under section 2933 and presentence conduct credits under section 4019 to no more than 15 percent of the actual period of confinement for any person convicted of a felony offense listed in section 667.5, subdivision (c), as a “violent felony.” One such violent felony is first degree (residential) burglary “wherein it is charged and proved that another person, other than an accomplice, was present in the residence during the commission of the burglary.” (§ 667.5, subd. (c)(21).) Ten years ago in People v. Garcia (2004) 121 Cal.App.4th 271 (Garcia) this court held there was neither a statutory nor a federal constitutional right to a jury determination whether the defendant’s first degree burglary qualified as a violent felony for purposes of the presentence conduct limitation prescribed by section 2933.1, subdivision (c). Our federal constitutional analysis focused primarily on the scope of Apprendi v. New Jersey (2000) 530 U.S. 466, 490 [120 S.Ct. 2348, 147 L.Ed.2d 435] (Apprendi), which held any fact that increases the penalty for a crime beyond the prescribed statutory maximum, other than a prior conviction, must be submitted to the jury and proved beyond a reasonable doubt. However, our discussion of that issue also cited Harris v. United States (2002) 536 U.S. 545, 565 [122 S.Ct. 2406, 153 L.Ed.2d 524], which had concluded factors determining an increased minimum penalty for an offense, if there was no increase beyond the statutory maximum penalty, could be decided by the trial judge rather than the jury. Harris was overruled last year by Alleyne v. United States (2013) 570 U.S. ___ [133 S.Ct. 2151, 186 L.Ed.2d. 314] (Alleyne), which held Apprendi applies with equal force to facts increasing the mandatory minimum penalty for an offense. Daniel M. Gronvold was convicted after a jury trial of first degree burglary. At sentencing the court found true the charge in the information that another person, other than an accomplice, was present in the residence during the commission of the burglary and calculated Gronvold’s presentence custody credit pursuant to the conduct limitation

1 Statutory references are to the Penal Code. 2 prescribed by section 2933.1, subdivision (c), for a violent felony. On appeal Gronvold contends his Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment right to a jury trial was violated by the trial court’s finding that someone was present in the residence at the time of the burglary, arguing our decision in Garcia is no longer good law in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Alleyne overruling Harris v. United States. We affirm. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND 1. The Information Gronvold was charged in an information filed July 13, 2012 with one count of first degree burglary (§ 459) and one count of grand theft (§ 487, subd. (a)). As to the burglary it was specially alleged, “the above offense is a violent felony within the meaning of Penal Code 667.5(c) in that another person, other than an accomplice, was present in the residence during the commission of the above offense.” The information further alleged Gronvold had suffered one prior serious felony (making a criminal threat) within the meaning of both section 667, subdivision (a), and the three strikes law (§§ 667, subds. (b)-(i); 1170.12, subds. (a)-(d)) and had served several separate prison terms for prior felony convictions (§ 667.5, subd. (b)). Gronvold pleaded not guilty and denied the special allegations. Prior to the start of trial, the grand theft charge was dismissed in furtherance of justice (§ 1385). 2. The Evidence at Trial Peter Bringas co-owned a two-story, partially furnished home in Lancaster that was in pre-foreclosure. He stayed in the home at least once each week on weekends. Bringas retained Stan Gates, a realtor, to help him sell the house. At approximately 11 a.m. on March 14, 2010 Gates installed a lockbox on the door for potential buyers and their agents and did a walk-through inspection of the property. Gates noticed things were in disarray: Cabinets were open; it appeared that someone had rummaged through the closets; and kitchen items were on counters where they did not belong. A computer printer, which normally was on the desk in the upstairs

3 office, had been placed on the second floor stair landing. Gates telephoned Bringas and reported what he had seen inside the house. Richard Genari, the real estate agent for potential buyers Scott and Lisa Van Weelden, arrived at the house on March 14, 2010 between noon and 2:00 p.m. Genari noticed a black pickup truck in the driveway, backed up to the garage of the house, and recognized the young woman standing on the passenger side of the vehicle as the daughter of a real estate agent who worked with Genari. The woman, Janene Lavelle, told Genari she was meeting a friend but might have come to the wrong house and then drove off in the truck. (Lavelle repeated this explanation for her presence at Bringas’s home to law enforcement officers when they initially contacted her after the burglary was reported.) Apparently neither Genari nor the Van Weeldens saw any household goods or electronics in the truck when Lavelle left. Genari and the Van Weeldens entered the house using the key Gates had left in the lockbox. They encountered Gronvold as he was coming down the stairs, smoking a cigarette. Gronvold said he was there to clean up the house (that is, to empty it of any trash). Gronvold asked if Lavelle was still outside and became angry when told she was not. Gronvold then left the house. Genari called Gates, told him what had happened and gave him the license plate number of the truck, which Lisa Van Weelden had written down. The description of the truck and the license number matched Lavelle’s 2007 black Toyota Tundra. Gates returned to the house. He noticed the printer that had been at the top of the stairs on his earlier visit was no longer there. Bringas went to the house around 4:00 p.m. that day. He testified the house appeared to have been ransacked. Some goods had been thrown around the floor. Several pillow cases were filled with kitchen items (pots, pans and glasses) and stacked by the front door, together with the computer printer. Bringas ultimately determined a computer, lawn mower, cordless drill, DVD player, three mink coats, other items of clothing and several major appliances were missing.

4 Lavelle, who had been convicted at an earlier trial of first degree burglary for her role in the March 14, 2010 incident, testified she and her husband had been considering purchasing a home.

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