People v. Kidd

248 Cal. Rptr. 3d 234, 36 Cal. App. 5th 12
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal, 5th District
DecidedMay 16, 2019
DocketE070996
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 248 Cal. Rptr. 3d 234 (People v. Kidd) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal, 5th District primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Kidd, 248 Cal. Rptr. 3d 234, 36 Cal. App. 5th 12 (Cal. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

RAPHAEL, J.

*14After being charged with several felony offenses, defendant and respondent Martell Shimon Kidd was twice unsuccessful in having the *15evidence against him suppressed on motions brought pursuant to *237Penal Code1 section 1538.5, first at the preliminary hearing and then after his arraignment on the information. He raised the suppression issue again, however, in a motion to set aside the information pursuant to section 995, which was heard by a different superior court judge. This time, Kidd was successful; the section 995 motion was granted on the ground that the evidence against him should be suppressed as the product of a constitutionally unreasonable search and seizure, resulting in the dismissal of all charges.

In this appeal, the People argue that Kidd's section 995 motion was an inappropriate request to relitigate a matter that had previously been considered and decided by a different superior court judge, and that it should have been denied on that basis. We reject this argument, finding that the suppression issue was properly raised again in Kidd's section 995 motion. In the alternative, the People contend the motion should have been denied on its merits. We disagree, and affirm the trial court's ruling.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

At Kidd's preliminary hearing, the prosecution presented evidence that in the wee hours of the morning on April 21, 2017, a law enforcement officer on patrol in the City of San Jacinto in a marked vehicle observed a car parked on a residential street with its front amber fog lights on. The officer could see two individuals sitting in the car. The officer decided to make contact with the individuals, explaining his reasoning as follows: "[T]here's a couple people inside of this car parked on the road at 1:30 in the morning. Maybe I should check to see if they're stranded, or what exactly they're doing. If-you know, who they are, if they live here."

The officer passed the car, made a U-turn, and parked about 10 feet behind the car, which had another car parked about 10 feet in front of it. The officer pointed two spotlights-one by his driver's side mirror, the other on the overhead light bar-at the occupied car, and then exited his patrol vehicle.

As the officer approached the driver's side of the car, he smelled a strong marijuana odor, apparently coming from the car. When the officer reached the driver's window, he shined his flashlight in the car and asked the occupants what they were doing. Kidd was in the driver's seat. The officer observed that the passenger was attempting to conceal some bags of what he suspected to be marijuana. The officer asked if either of the men were on probation or parole, and Kidd said that he was on probation.

*16The officer directed the two occupants to exit the car and to sit in his patrol vehicle while he verified Kidd's probation terms. While the officer did so, Kidd spontaneously told the officer that there was a firearm inside the car's center console.

The officer confirmed that Kidd was on probation and that he was subject to a search condition. The officer then searched the car and discovered marijuana, later determined to total 26 ounces, in several different packages; a digital scale; a pistol with the serial number scratched off; a loaded magazine for the pistol; and 142 pills later identified as Alprazolam. The officer arrested Kidd and impounded the evidence.

Kidd was arraigned on a felony complaint charging him with several felony offenses based on the evidence recovered from the search, as well as several recidivism-based *238allegations. He filed a motion to suppress the evidence pursuant to section 1538.5, which was heard at the preliminary hearing. The magistrate (Judge Randall D. White) denied the motion to suppress and held Kidd to answer on two felony counts and one misdemeanor. The magistrate made no express findings of fact in connection with the denial of the motion to suppress.

After Kidd was arraigned on an information filed after the preliminary hearing, he filed another motion to suppress, as authorized by section 1538.5, subdivision (i). At the special hearing on the motion, neither party presented any additional evidence. The trial court (Judge Mark E. Johnson) denied the motion.

Subsequently, Kidd brought a motion to dismiss pursuant to section 995, again arguing that the evidence against him should be suppressed. The trial court (Judge Jorge C. Hernandez) noted that it had reviewed the preliminary hearing transcript, as well as the parties' briefing. After hearing argument from the parties, the trial court granted the motion. The People appealed, as authorized by section 1238, subdivision (a)(1).

II. DISCUSSION

A. Standard of Review

" 'In a proceeding under section 995, the superior court's role is similar to that of an appellate court reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain a judgment.' " ( People v. Magee (2011) 194 Cal.App.4th 178, 182, 123 Cal.Rptr.3d 689 ( Magee ), quoting People v. McDonald (2006) 137 Cal.App.4th 521, 529, 40 Cal.Rptr.3d 422.) Thus, the superior court " 'merely reviews the evidence; it does not substitute its judgment on the *17weight of the evidence nor does it resolve factual conflicts.' " ( Magee, supra , at p. 182, 123 Cal.Rptr.3d 689.) In our review, "we, in effect, review the magistrate's decision directly, deferring to the magistrate's factual findings." ( People v. Hawkins (2012) 211 Cal.App.4th 194, 200, 149 Cal.Rptr.3d 469 ; accord Magee, supra , at pp. 182-183, 123 Cal.Rptr.3d 689 ["this court 'must draw all presumptions in favor of the magistrate's factual determinations, and we must uphold the magistrate's express or implied findings if they are supported by substantial evidence.' "].) We exercise our independent judgment in determining whether the search or seizure was reasonable on the facts found by the magistrate. ( Magee, supra , at p. 183,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
248 Cal. Rptr. 3d 234, 36 Cal. App. 5th 12, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-kidd-calctapp5d-2019.