People v. Howard

345 P.2d 41, 173 Cal. App. 2d 787, 1959 Cal. App. LEXIS 1654
California Court of Appeal·Decided September 22, 1959·No. Crim. No. 6594·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

WOOD (Parker), J.

Arthur Decatur, John Howard, Alienen Howard (also known as Bobby Decatur), and Lonnie Wilson were accused of forgery. John Howard and Allenea Howard pleaded guilty. In a non jury trial Decatur and Wilson were adjudged guilty. No finding was made regarding allegations in the information that Decatur had been twice convicted of burglary. He had denied those allegations, and the prosecution had introduced evidence in support of the allegations. Decatur was sentenced to imprisonment in the county jail for one year. He appeals from the sentence.

Appellant contends that the judgment should be reversed because certain evidence was obtained by illegal search and seizure. The evidence so referred to consisted of a check protector, a card, and four checks, which articles were taken by the officers from the apartment where appellant was arrested.

Richard Gulley, the secretary and treasurer of the Alco Plating Corporation, testified that in January, 1958, between noon and 1 p. m. on a Wednesday, two men came to his office and asked him questions regarding another plating company in the area; at that time he had two checkbooks of the corporation out (apparently on a desk) where he had been looking at the books, but he had put them aside temporarily while he was attending other matters; the Security-First National Bank book was on top of the Bank of America book; after the men left the office, the witness noticed that the Security checkbook was sitting at an angle which was not the way the witness had placed it; the witness looked in the back of the Security book to see if any checks were missing; he found that seven pages consisting of 21 checks were missing; he gave a police report on that day and stopped payment on the checks; he could identify the appellant as one of the two men; the check, referred to as Exhibit 1, was a check that was missing from his checkbook; the name appearing on that check, as the name of the person who drew the check for the corpora[789]*789tion, was his name, hut the signature was not his signature and he did not give anyone permission to sign his name thereon.

Mr. Nigma, an employee of a food market at 3029 South Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles, testified that on January 27, 1958, at 6:30 p. m., he was called to the “check okay desk” of the market and was asked to “okay” a check (Exhibit 1) bearing the printed name Alco Plating Corporation and the written name Dick Cully (as drawer), and payable to Lord Kent Bradshaw in the amount of $86.42, which amount was written by a check writer; at that time he observed defendant John Howard, who presented a driver’s license bearing the name Lord Kent Bradshaw; then the witness called the police station and asked that officers be sent to the market.

Officer Jobe went into the market on January 27, 1958, about 7 :15 p. m., and arrested defendant John Howard. The officer asked Howard where he got the check (Exhibit 1). Howard replied that defendant Wilson had said that he knew where Howard could make some money; thereafter they went to Wilson’s home where Wilson called a fellow by the name of “Art”; later, “Art” and a woman came to Wilson’s home; Art produced the check and said that if Howard would cash it at the market he would give Howard $20; that Art gave him a driver’s license bearing the name Lord Kent Bradshaw which was to be used as identification to cash the check. Howard also told the officer that Wilson and the woman (who had come to Wilson’s home with Art) had brought Howard to the market in an automobile, and they (Wilson and woman) were waiting outside the market for him to return with the money.

When Officer Jobe arrived at the market he observed that an automobile, which had been parked near the market, was being driven away. He noticed the license plate at that time. After the officer had had the conversation with Howard in the market, and while the officer was traveling in the police car near 45th Street and Vermont Avenue, he saw the automobile which had been parked near the market. He stopped that automobile and found that the persons in it were defendants Wilson and Allenea Howard (the person referred to as the woman who had come to Wilson’s home with Art). The officer arrested Wilson, who then made a statement to the officer that was similar to the statement which John Howard had made regarding the check. Wilson also told the officer, in the presence of Allenea Howard, that he and Allenea had driven to the market with John Howard, and John had gone [790]*790into the market to cash the cheek, and that Allenea had several other checks in an envelope. Wilson also said that when they saw that Officer Jobe and his fellow officer had arrested John, they (Wilson and Allenea) drove away and Allenea burned the checks which she had in the envelope. Allenea Howard told the officer that she did not know anything about the check, she had gone to the market with Wilson, and she knew a fellow by the name of Art but she would not tell anything about him.

Officer Jobe testified that he found a telephone book in Wilson’s wallet at the time he arrested Wilson; in the book he found the name of “Arthur” or “Art” and a telephone number; he (officer) telephoned the business office of the police department and gave said telephone number to an officer there; later Officer Hickey telephoned Officer Jobe and said that the telephone number (taken from Wilson’s book) was listed “to Arthur Decatur” at 4026 Exposition Boulevard in apartment 2. Officer Jobe received that information about 11:30 p. m. on January 27, 1958, and he went to said address about 25 minutes thereafter. He knocked on the door of the apartment, and a man’s voice from within asked, “Who is it?” The officer replied, “Willie.” The door was opened •2 or 3 inches, and appellant Arthur Decatur looked out the door. The officer showed his badge and said, “I am a police officer, you are under arrest.” Appellant slammed the door and locked it. Then the officer entered the apartment and arrested the appellant. The officer searched the place and found a check writer (Exhibit 2) in a locked suitcase which was in a closet. The appellant had the key to the suitcase in his pocket, and the officer used that key to open the suitcase. The officer also found, in the apartment, a card (Exhibit 3) bearing the name “Alco Plating Corporation,” a telephone number and an address, and the name “Dick Culley, Secretary-Treasurer.” He also found therein four checks (Exhibit 4) bearing the name “Gladman’s Furniture Exchange.” Also, he found therein seven operators’ licenses each bearing a different name. He also found numerous other identification cards, such as P. T. A. and social security cards, each of which bore a different name. He found a rubber date stamp, a stamping pad, and a pen. Many articles of men’s clothing were in the apartment.

Officer Jobe was accompanied by another officer. Neither officer had a warrant of arrest or a search warrant.

When the exhibits were offered in evidence, appellant ob[791]*791jeeted to the offer on the ground that they had been obtained by illegal search and seizure. The objection was overruled.

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People v. Howard, 345 P.2d 41, 173 Cal. App. 2d 787, 1959 Cal. App. LEXIS 1654 (Cal. Ct. App. 1959).

345 P.2d 41 (People v. Howard) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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