People v. Harmon

215 Cal. App. 3d 552, 263 Cal. Rptr. 623, 1989 Cal. App. LEXIS 1127
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 9, 1989
DocketB028038
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 215 Cal. App. 3d 552 (People v. Harmon) 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. Harmon, 215 Cal. App. 3d 552, 263 Cal. Rptr. 623, 1989 Cal. App. LEXIS 1127 (Cal. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinions

Opinion

WOODS (Fred), J.

A jury convicted appellant of robbery and appellant then admitted an alleged prior felony conviction of forcible rape. The court sentenced him to state prison for ten years, the five-year upper term for robbery and five years, consecutive, for his prior felony rape conviction (Pen. Code, § 667, subd. (a).)1

Appellant contends he was denied a representive cross-section jury venire, denied effective assistance of counsel at an in-court “lineup,” and denied equal protection by the court’s trial transcript orders.

We find appellant’s contentions without merit and affirm the judgment.

Factual and Procedural Background

The Crime

On February 3, 1986, at 9:00 a.m. Bonnie DeJong was unlocking the door of her crisis pregnancy center when a man approached and said “Hey, how you doing?” She looked up and saw a dark-complected Black man. The man grabbed the purse hanging from her shoulder but could not free it from her briefcase. He punched Ms. DeJong on her left cheek and still could not get the purse free. He then pushed her into a wall, she lost her balance, the purse got loose, and she screamed.

[556]*556Richard Denham, who worked in the same building as Ms. DeJong, heard the scream, went to the door, saw her being attacked, and ran after her attacker.

Pursued by both Mr. Denham and Ms. DeJong, the Black man jumped into a blue Toyota station wagon, pulled away from the curb, and began making a U-turn when an oncoming car slammed on its brakes. The blue Toyota momentarily stopped, then sped oif.

Both Ms. DeJong and Mr. Denham noted the complete license number of the blue Toyota.

Within minutes the sheriif’s department was notified and responded. Ms. DeJong told the deputy sheriff that her attacker was a male Black, five feet nine inches or five feet seven inches, one hundred and seventy pounds, wearing a blue watch cap, red plaid shirt, and dark pants. She described his complexion as very dark and did not notice any facial hair. She provided the complete license number of the blue Toyota.

About 45 minutes later sheriff’s Detective Scott was informed of the robbery, ran a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) check on the license number and learned it was registered to Alice or Joyce Harmon, 611 N. Northwood Ave., Compton.

By 10:30 a.m. that same morning Detective Scott and his partner, after informing the Compton Police Department of their intent to do so, staked out the 611 N. Northwood Ave. residence. At about 11:30 a.m. they saw the described blue Toyota, license number exactly matching, approach and pull into the driveway of that residence. Detective Scott immediately pulled his unmarked police vehicle into the driveway behind the Toyota and, at this same time, a marked Compton Police Department patrol car arrived.

Both Detective Scott and the driver of the Toyota, appellant, a male Black, about five feet six inches, stocky-muscular, wearing dark pants and a white shirt with red stripes, got out of their cars.

Detective Scott identified himself to appellant and ordered him to stop.2 Appellant ran and Detective Scott tackled him on the front porch. After a protracted struggle, which continued inside the residence, appellant freed himself, dove through the closed bedroom window, and fled. A two and one-half hour search for appellant, with a helicopter and canine unit, was unavailing.

[557]*557About a month and a half later Detective Scott arrested appellant.

The Charges

Appellant was charged with robbery (§211), felony battery (§§ 242/243), and felony resisting arrest (§ 69). It was alleged, as to each count, that at the time of the commission of each offense appellant had been released from custody on bail (§ 12022.1). By amended information appellant was charged with having suffered a prior forcible rape conviction (§261, subds. (2), (3)).

The First Trial

On November 6, 1986, the prosecutor dismissed counts 2 (§§ 242/243) and 3 (§ 69), made an opening statement, called two witnesses and rested. On November 17, 1986, the jury being unable to agree upon a verdict, a mistrial was declared.

The Instant Trial3

The issues revolved around identity, alibi, flight, consciousness of guilt, and a “Jeffery must have done it” defense.

Ms. DeJong, the victim, and Mr. Denham identified appellant as the robber. Detective Scott testified the robbery car was registered to appellant’s wife and mother, and two and one-half hours after the robbery appellant drove home in it, he resisted arrest, and fled. Other prosecution witnesses described appellant’s refusal to participate in a lineup.

Defense witnesses testified that appellant habitually wore a moustache and beard and did so on the day of the robbery (Ms. DeJong and Mr. Denham noticed no facial hair on the robber). Appellant’s mother testified that on February 3, 1986, she loaned the blue Toyota to appellant’s good friend Jeffery Richardson who left with it at 8:30 a.m. and returned it at about 10:25 a.m.

Ms. DeJong and Mr. Denham were shown a photograph of Jeffery and testified he was not the robber. Jeffery Richardson’s mother and sister testified they did not know appellant or his family.

[558]*558There was much peripheral testimony. Jeffery Richardson could not be located and did not testify. Appellant did not testify.

The jury found appellant guilty of robbery and thereafter appellant admitted the alleged prior rape conviction.4

Contentions

Appellant contends:

1. He was denied a representative cross-section jury venire.
2. He was denied effective assistance of counsel at an in-court “line-up.”
3. He was denied equal protection by the court’s trial transcript orders.

Discussion

1. He was denied a representative cross-section jury venire.

There is no disagreement concerning general principles.

A criminal defendant has a constitutional right (U.S. Const., 6th Amend; Cal. Const., art. I, § 16) to a jury drawn from a representative cross-section of the community. (Duren v. Missouri (1979) 439 U.S. 357 [58 L.Ed.2d 579, 99 S.Ct. 664]; People v. Morales (1989) 48 Cal.3d 527, 541 [257 Cal.Rptr. 64, 770 P.2d 244]; People v. Harris (1984) 36 Cal.3d 36, 48 [201 Cal.Rptr. 782, 679 P.2d 433].)

“In order to establish a prima facie violation of the fair-cross-section requirement, the defendant must show (1) that the group alleged to be excluded is a ‘distinctive’ group in the community; (2) that the representation of this group in venires from which juries are selected is not fair and reasonable in relation to the number of such persons in the community; and (3) that this underrepresentation is due to systematic exclusion of the group in the jury-selection process.”

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People v. Harmon
215 Cal. App. 3d 552 (California Court of Appeal, 1989)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
215 Cal. App. 3d 552, 263 Cal. Rptr. 623, 1989 Cal. App. LEXIS 1127, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-harmon-calctapp-1989.