People v. Magee

194 Cal. App. 4th 178, 123 Cal. Rptr. 3d 689, 2011 Cal. App. LEXIS 425
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 12, 2011
DocketNo. A124598
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 194 Cal. App. 4th 178 (People v. Magee) 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. Magee, 194 Cal. App. 4th 178, 123 Cal. Rptr. 3d 689, 2011 Cal. App. LEXIS 425 (Cal. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

Opinion

SIMONS, J.

When defendant Deemario Bomone Magee noticed that police officers were approaching him, he avoided them by entering the home of a Mend. Though the officers lacked a warrant, they followed defendant into the house and found him inside the bathroom trying to dispose of individually wrapped pieces of suspected cocaine base. The Mai court suppressed the evidence discovered inside the house, but we reverse; defendant had no reasonable expectation of privacy in the home or the bathroom at the time of the officers’ warrantless entry.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND1

On September 13, 2008, at 7:48 p.m., Corporal Potts and three other officers of the Vallejo Police Department were patrolling near Mark Avenue [181]*181and Sawyer Street, a high-crime area known for narcotics trafficking. The officers were in an unmarked van and wore black police shirts and vests. Potts saw defendant walk from in front of a house on Mark Avenue (the Mark Avenue house) toward a car that appeared to slow as it drove down the street. Potts recognized defendant; the “word on the street” was that defendant was involved in selling illegal narcotics, and Potts knew that defendant had been arrested in 2004 for selling drugs to an undercover officer. When Potts had attempted to contact defendant months before, defendant ran into a house to avoid the contact.

The police officers exited the van. Defendant looked toward the officers and then turned and “jogged hurriedly” toward the Mark Avenue house. Potts called out, “Please stop. Come here, Deemario. Please stop.” Defendant continued to move toward the house and, as Potts pursued him, defendant entered it. Potts knew from previous contacts with defendant that defendant did not live there; defendant had told Potts that his “grandmother” lived there.

Potts followed defendant into the house through an unlocked screen door and heard defendant close the bathroom door. The bathroom door was locked, and Potts kicked it open. Defendant was leaning over the toilet, flushing it. Inside the toilet was a bag containing “at least” 20 individually wrapped pieces of a white chalky substance that Potts believed to be cocaine base.

Potts reached over defendant in an unsuccessful attempt to retrieve the bag before it was flushed away. Defendant pushed Potts, and Potts punched defendant. After a struggle involving additional officers, defendant was handcuffed. The officers found on defendant a handgun with one bullet in the chamber and over $800 in cash; they found a gun magazine in the bathtub. The officers also searched and seized evidence from defendant’s car, which was parked outside. Potts opined that defendant possessed the suspected cocaine base for the purpose of sale.

Grace Anderson, who lived with her mother and sister at the Mark Avenue house in September 2008, testified for the defense. She is close to defendant’s parents and has known defendant for over 20 years. Defendant stopped by the Mark Avenue house when he was in the area, two or three times a week. He socialized with Anderson’s mother, who loved defendant as a “grandson.” He had permission to enter without knocking and to use the restroom. Defendant had never stayed overnight. On September 13, 2008, defendant had made arrangements with Anderson’s niece to have his hair braided at the house.

PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

In a felony complaint, defendant was charged with possession of cocaine base for sale (Health & Saf. Code, § 11351.5) (count 1), with an enhancement [182]*182for being armed with a firearm (Pen. Code, § 12022, subd. (c)); possession of cocaine base while armed with a firearm (Health & Saf. Code, § 11370.1, subd. (a)) (count 2); possession of a concealed firearm (Pen. Code, § 12025, subd. (a)(2)) (count 3); and misdemeanor battery on a police officer (id., § 243, subd. (b)) (count 4).2

Prior to the preliminary hearing, defendant filed a section 1538.5 motion to suppress the evidence discovered inside the Mark Avenue house, as well as the evidence seized from his car. At the end of the preliminary hearing, the magistrate granted the motion to suppress the evidence seized from the car,3 denied the motion in all other respects, and held defendant to answer on the complaint. Thereafter, the People filed an information setting forth counts 1, 2 and 3 as stated in the complaint; count 4 was changed to charge defendant with resisting an executive officer (§ 69).

Subsequently, defendant filed a motion to set aside the information pursuant to section 995, on the ground that the magistrate erred in denying the suppression motion with respect to the evidence discovered in the Mark Avenue house. The trial court concluded the warrantless entry violated the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and granted defendant’s motion to set aside the information. The People filed a timely notice of appeal.

DISCUSSION

I. Standard of Review

“A criminal defendant is permitted to challenge the reasonableness of a search or seizure by making a motion to suppress at the preliminary hearing. [Citation.] If the defendant is unsuccessful at the preliminary hearing, he or she may raise the search and seizure matter before the superior court under the standards governing a section 995 motion. [Citation.]” (People v. McDonald (2006) 137 Cal.App.4th 521, 528-529 [40 Cal.Rptr.3d 422].) “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. [Citation.] The superior court merely reviews the evidence; it does not substitute its judgment on the weight of the evidence nor does it resolve factual conflicts. [Citation.]” (Id. at p. 529.) In this appeal from the grant of defendant’s motion under section 995, this court “must draw all presumptions [183]*183in 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. [Citations.]” (McDonald, at p. 529.) “We judge the legality of the search by ‘measuring] the facts, as found by the trier, against the constitutional standard of reasonableness.’ [Citation.] Thus, in determining whether the search or seizure was reasonable on the facts found by the magistrate, we exercise our independent judgment. [Citation.]” (Ibid.)

II. The Critical Issue in This Case Is Whether Defendant Had a Legitimate Expectation of Privacy at the Time of the Warrantless Entry

In the present case, the People contend the trial court erred in concluding the evidence discovered after the warrantless police entry into the Mark Avenue house should have been suppressed under the Fourth Amendment, which guarantees “[t]he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures” by police officers and other government officials. Under the Fourth Amendment, “ ‘searches and seizures inside a home without a warrant are presumptively unreasonable ...,’” and “ ‘absent exigent circumstances, a warrantless entry to search for weapons or contraband is unconstitutional even when a felony has been committed and there is probable cause to believe that incriminating evidence will be found within.’ ” (Groh v. Ramirez (2004) 540 U.S. 551

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

People v. Pressley CA1/5
California Court of Appeal, 2025
Price v. Superior Court
California Court of Appeal, 2023
People v. Superior Court (Zesk) CA4/2
California Court of Appeal, 2022
People v. Tacardon
California Court of Appeal, 2020
People v. Kidd
California Court of Appeal, 2019
People v. Kidd
248 Cal. Rptr. 3d 234 (California Court of Appeals, 5th District, 2019)
People v. Minjares CA2/7
California Court of Appeal, 2016
People v. Romeo
240 Cal. App. 4th 931 (California Court of Appeal, 2015)
In re Victor C. CA1/5
California Court of Appeal, 2015
People v. Sanchez CA1/1
California Court of Appeal, 2015
People v. Richardson CA4/2
California Court of Appeal, 2014
The People v. Landa CA1/2
California Court of Appeal, 2013
P. v. Sauceda CA4/2
California Court of Appeal, 2013
P. v. Hatcher CA2/5
California Court of Appeal, 2013
People v. Hawkins
211 Cal. App. 4th 194 (California Court of Appeal, 2012)
People v. Johnson
209 Cal. App. 4th 800 (California Court of Appeal, 2012)
Magee v. California
181 L. Ed. 2d 752 (Supreme Court, 2012)
People v. Guzman
201 Cal. App. 4th 1090 (California Court of Appeal, 2011)
People v. Valencia
201 Cal. App. 4th 922 (California Court of Appeal, 2011)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
194 Cal. App. 4th 178, 123 Cal. Rptr. 3d 689, 2011 Cal. App. LEXIS 425, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-magee-calctapp-2011.