People v. Martinez

Procedural entryThis page is a short order in People v. Martinez. Read the opinion of the Court — 226 Cal. App. 4th 1169
California Court of Appeal·Decided June 6, 2014·No. E057976·Published

Opinion

Filed 6/6/14

CERTIFIED FOR PUBLICATION

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION TWO

THE PEOPLE,

Plaintiff and Respondent, E057976

v. (Super.Ct.No. FMB1200197)

DENNIS TERRY MARTINEZ, OPINION

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from the Superior Court of San Bernardino County. Daniel W.

Detienne, Judge. Reversed with directions.

Thomas E. Robertson, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant

and Appellant.

Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Julie L. Garland, Assistant Attorney General,

Melissa Mandel, and Meredith S. White, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and

Respondent.

Defendant Dennis Terry Martinez pled guilty to leaving the scene of an accident

1 (count 1; Veh. Code, § 20001, subd. (a))1 and admitted the offense constituted a violation

of his probation. In return for his plea, the People agreed to the low term of two years’

incarceration on count 1 and a concurrent midterm of two years on his violation of

probation. The sentencing court later indicated it would not permit the plea to the agreed

upon term. The court offered to allow defendant to withdraw his plea and set the matter

for a preliminary hearing or proceed with the plea with the understanding the court would

sentence defendant to the midterm of three years’ imprisonment with a concurrent three-

year term for the violation of probation. Defense counsel indicated defendant’s

acquiescence to the court’s proposed disposition.2

The court sentenced defendant to the three-year term, but reserved jurisdiction on

the issue of victim restitution. After a contested restitution hearing, the court ordered

victim restitution in the amount of $425,654.63. On appeal, defendant contends the court

abused its discretion in awarding victim restitution for the injuries sustained by the victim

because defendant did not plead to any criminal offense regarding the collision which

caused those injuries and no factual determination was made that he was responsible for

the accident. We reverse the restitution award. The matter is remanded to allow the

People to file a motion, in their discretion, for restitution in which they will bear the

burden of proving an amount, if any, which reflects the degree to which the victim’s

1 All further statutory references are to the Vehicle Code unless otherwise indicated.

2 No new plea was taken either orally or in writing to reflect the new, agreed upon disposition. Defendant did not personally indicate his acceptance of the new term.

2 injuries were exacerbated, if at all, by defendant’s flight. In all other respects, the

judgment is affirmed.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY3

On April 26, 2012, at approximately 6:30 p.m., defendant, driving his vehicle, and

the 12-year-old victim, riding on a scooter, collided in the street. Defendant stopped his

vehicle and checked on the victim. The victim’s mother came screaming over to her son.

Defendant fled when he discovered the victim’s injuries might be life threatening.

Defendant was on probation and driving without a license.

The victim was taken to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Loma Linda University

Medical Center (LLUMC). He sustained multiple broken facial bones and a serious head

injury resulting in brain swelling.

Within 24 hours of investigation, officers discovered defendant’s identity.

Defendant voluntarily came forward thereafter. He admitted knowing that leaving the

scene of the accident was a criminal offense. Defendant admitted ingesting medical

grade marijuana at 8:00 a.m. the day of the accident, but said he no longer felt the effects

by 11:00 a.m. Defendant maintained the collision was an accident.

After defendant’s plea, a probation report prepared for sentencing recommended

defendant be sentenced to the upper term of four years, conflicting with the disposition

agreed upon in the plea agreement. Defendant’s felony probation had been previously

3 The parties stipulated the factual basis for the plea was contained in the felony complaint and police report. We take a portion of our factual recitation from those sources.

3 revoked once.

The probation officer noted the victim had been released from LLUMC’s ICU

after two weeks. The victim was transferred to the children’s rehabilitation center in

Orange County where he had since remained. The victim had no short-term memory and

was unable to walk without assistance. The victim was relearning to walk and talk. It

was anticipated the victim would undergo 12 weeks of intensive neurological therapy.

Defendant had been uninsured at the time of the collision. The bill for the victim’s stay

at LLUMC alone was $500,000. The victim’s mother’s insurance deductible was

$10,500.

The victim’s mother made a statement at defendant’s sentencing hearing. She

noted “The fact that my son collided with the vehicle was an accident.” The victim’s

mother indicated the victim had “multiple facial fractures, a fractured clavicle[,] and was

diagnosed with traumatic brain injury.” The victim suffered brain swelling for which

doctors had to insert a brain swelling monitor in his skull. The victim had been moved to

Orange County on May 11, 2012, and was sent home after five weeks.

Subsequent to sentencing, the parties briefed the issue of whether defendant could

be ordered to pay restitution for the medical costs incurred by the victim as a result of the

collision. The People noted the victim’s bill for his stay at LLUMC alone was

$425,654.63. At the contested restitution hearing, the court decided to follow the

decision in People v. Rubics (2006) 136 Cal.App.4th 452 (Fourth Dist., Div. One)

(Rubics), which held that a defendant convicted of fleeing the scene of an accident could

be ordered to pay restitution for costs incurred by the victim as a result of the collision.

4 The court continued the matter for a hearing on the amount of restitution to order.

Counsel filed a stipulation in the amount of $425,654.63 for a victim restitution order.

The stipulation reserved defendant’s right to appeal the court’s determination it could

order victim restitution for the results of the accident. The court granted victim

restitution in the amount stipulated.

DISCUSSION

Defendant contends the court erred in following Rubics because decades of

precedent have characterized the illegal act of hit-and-run as fleeing the scene, not

causing the actual collision. Thus, because defendant was not convicted for any offense

involving responsibility for the actual accident and no factual determination of his

responsibility for the collision or the victim’s injuries has been made, the court erred in

ordering restitution to the victim for treatment of the injuries he received as a result of the

accident. We agree.

We review a trial court’s order of restitution for abuse of discretion. (People v.

Giordano (2007) 42 Cal.4th 644, 663.) “While we review all restitution orders for abuse

of discretion, we note that the scope of a trial court’s discretion is broader when

restitution is imposed as a condition of probation.” (Ibid., fn. 7.) “It is the intent of the

Legislature that a victim of crime who incurs an economic loss as a result of the

commission of a crime shall receive restitution directly from a defendant convicted of

that crime.” (Pen. Code, § 1202.4, subd. (a)(1).)

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