People v. Medina

198 Cal. App. 2d 224, 17 Cal. Rptr. 722, 1961 Cal. App. LEXIS 2531
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 19, 1961
DocketCrim. 7621
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 198 Cal. App. 2d 224 (People v. Medina) 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. Medina, 198 Cal. App. 2d 224, 17 Cal. Rptr. 722, 1961 Cal. App. LEXIS 2531 (Cal. Ct. App. 1961).

Opinion

*226 JEFFERSON, J.

In an information filed by the district attorney of the County of Los Angeles, defendant was charged as follows: in count I with a violation of section 11502 of the Health and Safety Code in that on or about September 25, 1959, he did sell, furnish, administer and give to Roberta Rae Dubois, a minor of the age of 17 years, a narcotic, heroin, and in count II with a violation of section 11500 of such code in that on or about September 7, 1960, he had a narcotic, heroin, in his possession. The information further alleged that defendant had been previously convicted of a felony, to wit, violation of section 11500 of Health and Safety Code, possession of a narcotic. Defendant pleaded not guilty and denied the prior conviction. Trial was by the court, trial by jury having been duly waived and the cause, pursuant to stipulation of defendant and all counsel, was submitted to the court on the testimony contained in the transcript of the proceedings had at the preliminary hearing. Defendant did not testify. Defendant was found guilty as charged. The prior conviction was found to be true. Probation was denied and defendant was sentenced to state prison for the term prescribed by law. Sentences were ordered to run consecutively. Defendant prosecutes this appeal from the judgment as to his conviction on count I only and from the order denying his motion for a new trial, which motion and order is not reflected in the clerk’s transcript.

Roberta Rae Dubois testified that she was born December 29, 1941. As she recalled, she had known the defendant for a couple of years prior to September 1959. She had dated him and they were well acquainted. Although she had smoked marijuana once or twice before September 1959 she had never used heroin. On an occasion during September 1959 she met with defendant at his sister’s house in Sylmar, in the Los Angeles area. Defendant administered heroin to her there. Miss Dubois testified on this particular occasion defendant asked her if she wanted some “junk” or “stuff.” She said “yes.” Defendant had some white powder in a gelatin capsule. He emptied the powder from the capsule into a tablespoon, put water in, cooked it with matches, pulled it up into an eye dropper with some cotton, attached a hypodermic needle to the end and injected it into a vein of Miss Dubois’ arm, having tied a belt around her arm so that the vein became prominent. Right afterwards, Miss Dubois’ body began to tingle, her mouth became dry, she began to scratch and felt happy and pleasant. These sensations continued about *227 an hour. On subsequent occasions, commencing about a week later, Miss Dubois received similar injections from defendant and felt similar sensations. She testified she noticed the pupils of her eyes became small. After she stopped receiving injections, she would become sick, her bones would hurt, and she would yawn and feel nauseated.

John Olsen, a police officer for the City of Los Angeles, was an expert in narcotics and their uses and effect upon the human body. Having heard the testimony of Miss Dubois, he was of the opinion that the substance injected into her arm was heroin.

On September 7, 1960, Officer Karl Johnson of the San Fernando Police Department, together with Officers Olsen and Van Court of the Los Angeles Police Department, and Officer Phillips of the San Fernando Police Department, proceeded to the location of 1420 Kewen Street, San Fernando, staking out the area at about 9 :50 p. m. A known narcotic addict entered the residence at about 10 :05 p. m., had a conversation with the person at the front door, then left. The residence was that of a known narcotic addict (one Figueroa). Officer Johnson had received information of narcotic activity taking place there and had seen a number of known addicts go there over a period of a month.

About half an hour later that night of September 7, Officers Johnson and Van Court went to the front door of the residence and the other officers to the rear. Peering through the glass of the front door, Officers Johnson and Van Court observed Miss Dubois lying on a couch in the living room. She was recognized by them as being a narcotic addict and appeared to be under the influence of narcotics. One of the officers noted a discoloration on her left arm which, in his opinion, was caused by the injection of heroin. The two officers knocked on the door and identified themselves as police officers. Miss Dubois jumped up, screamed something and ran toward the rear of the house where a loud noise emanated, then the lights were extinguished. Thereupon, Officers Johnson and Van Court forced entry and went through the living room into the kitchen. Officer Johnson saw defendant in the doorway of the bathroom leading from the kitchen area. Officer Johnson took defendant into custody and asked him what he was doing. He said he was doing nothing. Officer Van Court picked up a finger stall containing 35 capsules of white powder, which was lying on the floor in a small closet space next to the bathroom, about three feet from where de *228 fendant was standing. Defendant denied having seen it before. He admitted, however, that some narcotic paraphernalia (needle, spoon and other items) found in the bathroom was his and said that he had only been in the bathroom “fixing.” The powder was later analyzed chemically and found to contain heroin.

Just before his fellow officers knocked on the front door, Officer Olsen observed defendant through the kitchen window at the rear of the house. Defendant appeared to be moving his hands in a slicing manner. When the knocking occurred and there was motion inside the house, defendant hurried over to a string attached to a light in the center of the kitchen, pulled it and then disappeared rapidly into the center portion of the house where the bathroom was located.

Miss Dubois testified she recalled having seen defendant putting heroin in capsules that night at the house in question before he was arrested.

Defendant contends that the testimony of the minor, Miss Dubois, against him had been influenced by bribery and coercion and therefore cannot stand. In this respect the record indicates that she had a conversation with the police officers the evening of her arrest. When first asked concerning this conversation she denied that the officers had told her if she would testify against defendant Medina they would do their best to see that no charges were brought against her. In a later question she indicated she did not understand the question and it was restated to her and she answered affirmatively to the question whether the officers had said that if she would state facts in a courtroom that charges against her would not be brought. She was then asked:

“Q. Which officer told you that? Do you remember his name? A. No.
“Q. Is he in the courtroom today? A. No, I don’t remember. It was just a mutual thing.
“Q. What do you mean by a ‘mutual thing?’ A. Well, it was sort of my idea.
“Q. It was sort of your idea that if you testified against the defendant that charges against you would be dropped; is that what you mean? A. Yes.
“Q. In other words, then you told the officers that you would be happy to tell or state facts if a ease or charges against you would' not be brought; is

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482 P.2d 205 (California Supreme Court, 1971)
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256 Cal. App. 2d 425 (California Court of Appeal, 1967)
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251 Cal. App. 2d 884 (California Court of Appeal, 1967)
People v. Sullivan
234 Cal. App. 2d 562 (California Court of Appeal, 1965)
People v. Horton
213 Cal. App. 2d 185 (California Court of Appeal, 1963)

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Bluebook (online)
198 Cal. App. 2d 224, 17 Cal. Rptr. 722, 1961 Cal. App. LEXIS 2531, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-medina-calctapp-1961.