People v. Little

9 Cal. Rptr. 3d 446, 115 Cal. App. 4th 766, 2004 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 1179, 2004 Daily Journal DAR 1467, 2004 Cal. App. LEXIS 155
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 9, 2004
DocketH024757
StatusPublished
Cited by47 cases

This text of 9 Cal. Rptr. 3d 446 (People v. Little) 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. Little, 9 Cal. Rptr. 3d 446, 115 Cal. App. 4th 766, 2004 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 1179, 2004 Daily Journal DAR 1467, 2004 Cal. App. LEXIS 155 (Cal. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

Opinion

WUNDERLICH, J.

I. Statement of the Case

A jury convicted defendant Deric Lamar Little of possessing more than 57 grams of methamphetamine for sale, misdemeanor child endangerment, misdemeanor using or being under the influence of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. 1 (Health & Saf. Code, §§ 11378, 11550, subd. (a), & 11364; Pen. Code, §§ 273a, subd. (b), & 1203.073, subd. (b)(2).) Thereafter, the court found true allegations that defendant had four prior felony convictions for possession for sale or transporting methamphetamine. (Pen. Code, § 1203.07, subd. (a)(ll); Health & Saf. Code, § 11370.2, subd. (c).) The court imposed the three-year aggravated term for possession for sale, a consecutive three-year enhancement for one of the prior convictions, and concurrent 90-day jail terms for the misdemeanors. The court dismissed the three remaining prior convictions in furtherance of justice. (See Pen. Code, § 1385.)

*770 On appeal from the judgment, defendant claims there is insufficient evidence to support his misdemeanor conviction for child endangerment. He also challenges his misdemeanor conviction for being under the influence on the ground that the court accepted a stipulation that was tantamount to a guilty plea but did not advise him of his constitutional rights and obtain waivers before accepting it.

We find merit in defendant’s second claim and reverse his misdemeanor conviction for being under the influence of a controlled substance.

II. Facts 2

Around 8:00 p.m., on July 21, 2001, several police officers from the San Jose Police Department, including Officers Kevin Sebree, Steve Spillman, and Fred Kotto, entered defendant’s residence on Santa Rosa Drive in San Jose to conduct a search. Sebree saw a woman in the hallway, who was searched and found in possession of a bindle of methamphetamine. In a back bedroom, the officers found defendant and Ochoa; glass pipes used for smoking drugs; an electronic scale, on which there was a white powdery substance; packaging material; two bags containing over $900 in cash; and a backpack containing 70 grams of methamphetamine. There was also a television monitor in the room, which, according to Sebree, displayed a live picture of what was happening in the living room and at the front door at the time of the search. An expert concerning criminal possession, use, and sale of drugs testified that the 70 grams of methamphetamine found by the police were possessed for sale.

Sebree testified that upon entering the residence, he was overcome by a smell of animal feces and rotten food. Likewise Spillman testified that the house was filthy and smelled of animal feces. He saw dirt, cobwebs, insects, and cockroaches everywhere. Animals were running around. And garbage was piled in almost every room. In the master bedroom, Spillman found defendant and Ochoa’s infant daughter, who appeared to be six months to one year old. She was lying unsecured in the middle of a bed, which was around three feet high. Spillman noticed that the bed lacked a railing or restraints to prevent the child from crawling or rolling off the edge. Concerned that the child might fall and injure herself, Spillman called for help and removed the child. In the bedroom, there was also some sort of video device aimed toward the bed. 3

*771 IH. Sufficiency of the Evidence

Defendant contends there is insufficient evidence to support a conviction under Penal Code section 273a, subdivision (b) for child endangerment. We disagree.

When considering a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence to support a criminal conviction, we review the whole record in the light most favorable to the verdict, drawing all inferences that reasonably support it, and determine whether it contains substantial evidence—that is, evidence which is reasonable, credible, and of solid value—from which a trier of fact could rationally find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. (People v. Johnson (1980) 26 Cal.3d 557, 578 [162 Cal.Rptr. 431, 606 P.2d 738]; see also Jackson v. Virginia (1979) 443 U.S. 307, 319-320 [61 L.Ed.2d 560, 99 S.Ct. 2781].) In making this determination, we do not reweigh the evidence, resolve conflicts in the evidence, draw inferences contrary to the verdict, or reevaluate the credibility of witnesses. (See People v. Jones (1990) 51 Cal.3d 294, 314 [270 Cal.Rptr. 611, 792 P.2d 643].) Moreover, because it is the jury, not the reviewing court, that must be convinced of the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, we are bound to sustain a conviction that is supported by only circumstantial evidence, even if that evidence is also reasonably susceptible of an interpretation that suggests innocence. (People v. Bean (1988) 46 Cal.3d 919, 932-933 [251 Cal.Rptr. 467, 760 P.2d 996].)

Penal Code section 273a, subdivision (b) provides, “Any person who, under circumstances or conditions other than those likely to produce great bodily harm or death, willfully causes or permits any child to suffer, or inflicts thereon unjustifiable physical pain or mental suffering, or having the care or custody of any child, willfully causes or permits the person or health of that child to be injured, or willfully causes or permits that child to be placed in a situation where his or her person or health may be endangered, is guilty of a misdemeanor.” (Italics added.)

Defendant claims there was no basis for a finding that his daughter’s person or health may have been endangered. In particular, he notes that there was no evidence that (1) she was capable of rolling or crawling and therefore could have fallen off the bed; (2) no evidence that contraband or dangerous objects were within her reach; and (3) no evidence that she had been physically neglected, uncared for, or undernourished. We are not persuaded.

Evidence of the child’s age range reasonably supports an inference that she was old enough to be able to crawl or at least roll over. This inference, her unsecured location on a bed without restraints or railings, and the height of the bed reasonably support a finding that the child was left in a situation *772 where she may have been injured by falling off the bed. Indeed, Spillman testified that he feared the child might roll off the bed. Moreover, evidence concerning conditions inside the residence—the stench from rotten food and feces, piles of garbage, loose animals, and widespread vermin—reasonably supports a finding that the residence in general and master bedroom in particular were so unsanitary as to pose a potential danger to health. (Cf. People v. Odom (1991) 226 Cal.App.3d 1028, 1033 [277 Cal.Rptr. 265]; People v. Harris

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9 Cal. Rptr. 3d 446, 115 Cal. App. 4th 766, 2004 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 1179, 2004 Daily Journal DAR 1467, 2004 Cal. App. LEXIS 155, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-little-calctapp-2004.