People v. Macovichuk CA4/1

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 16, 2023
DocketD079774
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Macovichuk CA4/1 (People v. Macovichuk CA4/1) 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. Macovichuk CA4/1, (Cal. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

Filed 2/16/23 P. v. Macovichuk CA4/1 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

COURT OF APPEAL, FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION ONE

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE PEOPLE, D079774

Plaintiff and Respondent,

v. (Super. Ct. No. SCN411078)

MICHAEL ELLIOTT MACOVICHUK,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of San Diego County, Brad A. Weinreb and James E. Simmons, Jr., Judges. Sentence vacated in part and remanded for further proceedings; in all other respects affirmed. Kenneth J. Vandevelde, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Charles C. Ragland, Assistant Attorney General, Arlene A. Sevidal and Randall D. Einhorn, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. A jury found Michael Elliott Macovichuk guilty of one count of making

a criminal threat. (Pen. Code, § 422.)1 The trial court placed Macovichuk on formal probation for a term of three years. Macovichuk asserts several arguments on appeal. First, he contends that his constitutional right to a speedy trial, under both the federal and state constitutions, was violated because pandemic-related delays resulted in a time span of 19 months between the time he was charged and the date of his trial, during which one of his intended trial witnesses died. Second, he contends that the trial court abused its discretion in overruling an evidentiary objection to the admission of certain photographs. Third, he challenges the imposition of certain fines and fees on the ground that they were not imposed by the trial court, on the record, at the sentencing hearing. Finally, he challenges the imposition of certain probation conditions. We conclude that Macovichuk’s only meritorious challenge relates to the imposition of the fines and fees. As the People concede, the trial court was not clear during the sentencing hearing about which fines and fees it intended to impose and in what amounts. Accordingly, we will vacate the imposition of the fines and fees specified in the minute order from the sentencing hearing and the order granting formal probation, and we will remand for the trial court to hold further proceedings with respect to the fines and fees it intends to impose. I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND On the evening of February 21, 2020, Macovichuk was speaking on the phone to his brother, J., who was in Houston. As J. described the phone call

1 Unless otherwise indicated, all further statutory references are to the Penal Code. 2 during his trial testimony, Macovichuk became upset, saying that everyone was against him and that “nothing matters in life.” Macovichuk threatened to harm himself and then started saying that he was going to kill other people. As the intended victims, Macovichuk specifically named his mother (Mother) and everyone else who was at Mother’s house, which included two of Macovichuk’s nephews, and Macovichuk’s sister and her family. Macovichuk also said he was going to kill Tim F., in whose house Macovichuk was residing. At first, J. did not believe the threats, but then Macovichuk stated that he had a gun, and he told J. to listen to a sound, which J. identified as the sound of loading bullets into the magazine of a gun. At some point during the conversation, Macovichuk told J. that he had rifles. Macovichuk repeatedly said there would be dead people, and kept reiterating that he was going to act. Macovichuk was aggressive and yelling. Macovichuk told J. that it was J.’s choice, “It’s either 30 people or one,” which J. understood to mean that Macovichuk was either going to shoot 30 people or shoot himself. J.’s telephone conversation with Macovichuk lasted approximately 40 minutes and ended when Macovichuk hung up on J. During much of that time, J. was communicating by text message with Mother. J. urged Mother to call 911, and she did so. In his text messages to Mother, J. warned Mother about Macovichuk’s threats to her and others, kept her updated on Macovichuk’s statements, and worked with her to determine where Macovichuk might be located. In addition, both Mother and J. attempted to contact Tim F. to warn him of Macovichuk’s threats. Based on statements that Macovichuk made during their conversation, J. inferred that Macovichuk was at a storage facility where he had a storage unit. After J. and Mother figured out the likely location of the storage

3 facility, which was about 10 miles from Mother’s house, police responded to that location and contacted Macovichuk in the parking lot. Macovichuk did not have any weapons on his person or in his car. However, when police searched Macovichuk’s storage unit, they found a loaded pistol and two loaded rifles. Macovichuk was arrested on February 21, 2020. On February 25, 2020, Macovichuk was arraigned on a complaint charging him with one count of making a criminal threat. The complaint identified Mother as the victim of the threat. A preliminary hearing was held on May 19, 2020, at which Macovichuk

was arraigned on the information.2 On the day of the preliminary hearing, Macovichuk was released from custody on bail. A readiness hearing was held on June 16, 2020, with trial set for July 8, 2020. With Macovichuk’s agreement to a time waiver, the trial date was continued to September 23, 2020, and then to October 28, 2020. Thereafter, the disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic caused the trial court to continue the trial date nine times between October 28, 2020, and August 25, 2021, without obtaining a time waiver from Macovichuk, and over his objection. On September 14, 2021, Macovichuk requested a continuance of

the trial date.3

2 At a March 4, 2020 readiness hearing, Macovichuk waived time, and a preliminary hearing was scheduled to take place on April 14, 2020. Because of pandemic-related disruptions, that hearing was continued to May 19, 2020. Macovichuk filed a motion to dismiss based on the delay in holding the preliminary hearing, which the trial court denied.

3 A pleading filed by Macovichuk in the trial court stated that the request for a continuance was “due to COVID quarantine and car trouble.”

4 A jury trial commenced on October 6, 2021. On the day of trial, the People amended the information to add a second count alleging the making of

a criminal threat (§ 422) with J. as the victim.4 Also on the day of trial, the trial court considered and denied Macovichuk’s motion to dismiss the action

based on an alleged denial of his right to a speedy trial.5 The jury convicted Macovichuk on one count of making a criminal threat, with J. as the victim, but it was unable to reach a verdict on the count alleging that he made a criminal threat against Mother. A mistrial was declared on that count, and the People subsequently dismissed it. The trial court placed Macovichuk on formal probation for a period of three years. II. DISCUSSION A. Macovichuk’s Right to a Speedy Trial Was Not Violated We first consider Macovichuk’s contention that his conviction must be reversed because he was denied the right to a speedy trial as guaranteed by the federal Sixth Amendment and the California Constitution. 1. Relevant Factual Background We begin with the factual basis for Macovichuk’s argument. As we have explained, Macovichuk was arrested and arraigned in late February 2020, and his trial started more than 19 months later in early October 2021.

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Bluebook (online)
People v. Macovichuk CA4/1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-macovichuk-ca41-calctapp-2023.