People v. Havens CA3

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 15, 2020
DocketC087536
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Havens CA3 (People v. Havens CA3) 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. Havens CA3, (Cal. Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

Filed 9/15/20 P. v. Havens CA3 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published,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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 THIRD APPELLATE DISTRICT (Shasta) ----

THE PEOPLE, C087536

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Super. Ct. No. 15F2711)

v.

AMANDA JEAN HAVENS,

Defendant and Appellant.

Defendant Amanda Jean Havens pleaded no contest in April 2018 to multiple counts of elder abuse and agreed to a stipulated sentence of 17 years in prison. The trial court imposed sentence in May 2018 and remanded her to correctional authorities. The trial court subsequently became aware that the sentence imposed was unauthorized. In June 2018, it vacated defendant’s plea, amended the charges, and retook defendant’s no contest plea. The trial court soon realized that it again had erred, so it resentenced defendant a second time in July 2018, after defendant had noticed her appeal.

1 On appeal, defendant argues the June and July 2018 orders should be vacated because the court lacked jurisdiction to take her plea again and resentence her. We agree. Given our conclusion, we need not address defendant’s alternative argument that the trial court violated the terms of the June 2018 plea agreement or otherwise imposed unauthorized sentences in June and July 2018. Defendant also challenges other portions of her sentence, including the restitution fine. And, relying on People v. Dueñas (2019) 30 Cal.App.5th 1157 (Dueñas), she argues the trial court erred in imposing certain fines and fees without holding a hearing to determine her ability to pay them. We will vacate the orders entered in June and July 2018, remand the matter for the trial court to reconsider the restitution and parole revocation restitution fines imposed in May 2018, direct the trial court to prepare an amended abstract of judgment, and otherwise affirm the judgment entered in May 2018. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND Given defendant’s contentions on appeal, we provide only a brief recitation of the facts. In 1989, defendant moved in with her mother and grandmother (the victim). Starting in 2010, the victim began needing full-time medical care. Defendant’s mother quit her job to care for the victim; defendant also helped. Starting in November 2014, the victim became bedridden, but neither defendant nor her mother obtained medical care for the victim. Feeding and caring for the victim became more difficult. In May 2015, the fire department responded to a call that the victim was not eating. The victim was found emaciated, covered in excrement, and having difficulty breathing. The victim was taken to the hospital, where she died the following day at age 90 from sepsis due to multiple infections.

2 In May 2016, defendant was charged with murder (Pen. Code, § 187, subd. (a); count 1)1 and elder abuse (§ 368, subd. (b); count 2)). As to count 2, it further was alleged defendant inflicted great bodily injury on the victim (who was aged 70 years or older) (§ 368, subd. (b)(2)(B)) and proximately caused the victim’s death (§ 368, subd. (b)(3)(B) (hereafter § 368(b)(3)(B)). On April 20, 2018, the parties agreed to add an additional count of elder abuse (§ 368, subd. (b); count 3), and a section 12022.7, subdivision (c) (hereafter section 12022.7(c)) enhancement to this count. Defendant then pleaded no contest to two counts of elder abuse. (§ 368, subd. (b); counts 2 & 3.) As to count 2, she admitted to proximately causing the death of the victim. (§ 368(b)(3)(B).) As to count 3, she also admitted to personally inflicting great bodily injury on a person aged 70 years or older. (§ 12022.7, subd. (c).) The court dismissed the remaining count and enhancements. Defendant agreed that her stipulated state prison sentence would be 17 years. On May 17, 2018, the trial court sentenced defendant to state prison for an aggregate term of 17 years, as follows: four years for count 2 plus seven years for the section 368(b)(3)(B) enhancement (11 years total), and one year (one-third the midterm) consecutive for count 3 plus five years consecutive for the section 12022.7(c) enhancement (six years total). Defendant did not object, nor did she argue for a reduced term. The trial court also imposed a $600 restitution fine (§ 1202.4, subd. (b)) and a corresponding $600 parole revocation restitution fine, suspended unless parole is revoked (§ 1202.45). With respect to the restitution fine, the trial court said, “So you had pled to two counts. So you have two restitution fines, both of $300. Those are imposed as to each count. So it would be $300 as to each count.” The trial court similarly stated that

1 Undesignated statutory references are to the Penal Code.

3 the parole revocation restitution fine was “$300 as to each count.” In addition, the trial court imposed an $80 court operations assessment (§ 1465.8) and a $60 court facilities assessment (Gov. Code, § 70373). The court also imposed and stayed a $730 fine, but did not specify the statutory basis for the fine. During the hearing, the trial court found that defendant lacked the ability to reimburse the costs of the legal assistance provided to her and declined to impose a fee pursuant to section 987.8. The trial court remanded defendant to correctional authorities. During a hearing on May 30, 2018, the trial court told the lawyers the sentence it had imposed was unauthorized. The court explained that under section 1170.1, the term for the section 12022.7(c) enhancement attached to the subordinate term and therefore should only be one-third the midterm, rather than the full five years. The court noted this would reduce the sentence by three years four months, stating the issue had “escaped everybody’s notice.” The court agreed to reconvene a week later. During a hearing on June 6, 2018, the court again noted, “[W]e all made the mistake.” The court explained it would amend the information and add four counts of violating section 368, subdivision (b) (counts 3-6) and also a count of attempted false imprisonment (§§ 236/664; count 7). Defense counsel responded that she had discussed the proposed changes with defendant, and defendant informed the court that she agreed to the changes. The court stated it was vacating the plea entered in April 2018, and defendant pleaded no contest to the amended charges and admitted the section 368(b)(3)(B) enhancement to count 2 and the section 12022.7(c) enhancement to count 3. The court then noted it already had added count 3 (elder abuse) in April 2018. In an apparent clerical error, the court stated it would “renumber” the four new counts of elder abuse (renumbered as counts 4-7) and add one count of attempted false imprisonment (renumbered as count 8). The court’s modifications brought the total number of elder abuse counts to six. Defendant pleaded no contest to count 3, again

4 admitted the section 12022.7(c) enhancement, and did not object to the court’s amendments. The trial court sentenced defendant to state prison for an aggregate term of 17 years eight months. The court imposed various fines and fees, including a $300 “per count” restitution fine (§ 1202.4) and a corresponding $300 “per count” parole revocation restitution fine (§ 1202.45). The court explained the restitution fine “would be $300 per count, sadly. Sometimes on cases like this, I will impose $10,000 per count, but I chose to impose the minimum amount. I am required by law to impose at least $300 per count on restitution fines.” The court also imposed a $780 “felony fine as to each count which is permanently stayed” without specifying the calculation or statutory basis for the fine.

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People v. Havens CA3, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-havens-ca3-calctapp-2020.