People v. Morales

130 Cal. Rptr. 2d 800, 106 Cal. App. 4th 445
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 11, 2003
DocketB154457
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 130 Cal. Rptr. 2d 800 (People v. Morales) 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. Morales, 130 Cal. Rptr. 2d 800, 106 Cal. App. 4th 445 (Cal. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

Opinion

TURNER, P. J.—

I. Introduction

Defendant, Manuel Morales, appeals from his convictions for three counts of felony annoying or molesting a child. (Pen. Code, 1 § 647.6, subd. (a).) The jury also found that defendant had sustained two prior convictions for lewd acts upon a child. (§§ 288, subd. (a), 647.6, subd. (c)(2), 667, subds. (b)-(i), 1170.12.) Pursuant to section 1385, subdivision (a), the trial court struck one of the two prior serious conviction findings. Defendant argues: the identification procedure was impermissibly suggestive; there was insufficient evidence to support the guilty verdict on count 2; and the trial court improperly instructed the jury with CALJIC No. 17.41.1. We reject these contentions in the unpublished portion of the opinion.

In the published portion of the opinion, we discuss the following jurisdictional question. The three-count amended information alleged defendant had previously been convicted of two violent felonies, child molestation in violation of section 288, subdivision (a) where the victim was under the age of 14. The amended information alleged the prior serious felony conviction allegations applied to one of the counts. But the jury and court findings entered pursuant to sections 1025 and 1158 made no reference to the prior violent felony findings as applying to only a single count. After dismissing one of the prior violent felony convictions pursuant to section 1385, subdivision (a), the trial court doubled the sentence as required by sections 667, subdivision (e)(1) and 1170.12, subdivision (c)(1) as to only one of the counts. As to the two remaining counts, the court imposed consecutive sentences as if defendant had never previously been convicted of a violent felony. We conclude that once the jury found defendant had previously been *448 convicted of a violent felony, the sentence as to all counts should have been doubled pursuant to sections 667, subdivision (e)(1) and 1170.12, subdivision (c)(1), subject to the trial court’s exercise of its section 1385, subdivision (a) power to strike the prior conviction finding.

II. The Facts

We view the evidence in a light most favorable to the judgment. (Jackson v. Virginia (1979) 443 U.S. 307, 319 [99 S.Ct. 2781, 2789, 61 L. Ed.2d 560]; People v. Osband (1996) 13 Cal.4th 622, 690 [55 Cal.Rptr.2d 26, 919 P.2d 640]; Taylor v. Stainer (9th Cir. 1994) 31 F.3d 907, 908-909.) At approximately 7:00 p.m. on March 31, 2001, 10-year-old Fernanda P. and 7-year-old Michelle D. were playing near their homes on 54th Street in Maywood. As Michelle D. pushed Fernanda P. in a shopping cart, they noticed defendant sitting in the driver’s seat of a yellow van with an orange stripe approximately five feet away. Defendant leaned out toward the girls and yelled, “Hey, do you know somebody who wants to do this?” Defendant was holding a pornographic magazine depicting two women, who in the words of Fernanda P. were “doing something . . . together.” Michelle D. described the picture as “bad.” Defendant wore a white cap with red on the front of it. Fernanda P. and Michelle D. ran away. They ran towards Fernanda P.’s home. They spoke to Fernanda P.’s mother. Thereafter, the two young girls went to Michelle D.’s home. They spoke with Michelle D.’s mother, Maria P. (Ms. P.). Fernanda P. told Ms. P. that a man had shown them dirty pictures. Fernanda P. appeared scared. Michelle D. said that the man tried to “lure her in” to the van. Ms. P. looked outside to see if the van, which Fernanda P. and Michelle D. described as yellow or orange with stripes, was there. The van was no longer outside. Ms. P. telephoned the police. Ms. P. described the van to the police. A tape recording of Ms. P. conversation with the police department was played at trial.

During the same evening, March 31, 2001, 10-year-old Lizbeth M. and her 11-year-old friend, Stella, were also approached by defendant. Lizbeth M. ' and Stella were playing on 53d Street. Defendant parked the yellow van at a nearby stop sign. Defendant asked if they were okay. Defendant pulled out some magazines. Defendant showed Lizbeth M. and Stella some pictures of “naked people” in the magazine. Defendant asked the girls if they “[knew] where to find these pictures.” Defendant was wearing a white cap with red trim near the forehead. Lizbeth M. immediately went to tell her mother what had happened. Shortly thereafter, Lizbeth M. also told the police what occurred and the color of defendant’s hat.

Maywood Police Officer Raul Mayorga responded to a call of an individual attempting to lure children into a van at approximately 7:00 p.m. on *449 March 31, 2001. Officer Mayorga spoke to Lizbeth M. and Michelle D. on the comer of 54th and Fishbum Streets. Fernanda P. had gone to an aunt’s home. The girls told Officer Mayorga that the man wore a white hat and drove a yellow van with an orange stripe. As Officer Mayorga was speaking with Lizbeth M. and Michelle D., a van matching that description drove past. Officer Mayorga asked the girls if the van looked like the one that passed them. The girls immediately said, “Yeah, that looks like the same one.” Officer Mayorga got into his police car, broadcast a description of the van, followed it, and made a traffic stop. Defendant was driving the van. Officer Mayorga asked defendant to get out of the van. Officer Mayorga told defendant he was being detained for a criminal investigation. Defendant was wearing a white baseball cap and a red shirt. Officer Mayorga saw two sexually explicit magazines on the floor between the seats of the van. The van had been stopped just beyond a blind curve. Because of the danger in remaining near the blind curve, Sergeant Telmo drove defendant to the Maywood Police Department. The police station was approximately a one-minute drive from the place where defendant was initially stopped.

Maywood Police Officer Sergio Fernandez then drove Lizbeth M., Michelle D., and Ms. P. to the place where the van was stopped. Officer Fernandez read a “field show-up admonishment” to Lizbeth M. and Michelle D. before they got to where the van was parked. Upon seeing the van, both girls immediately said, “That’s the van.” Officer Fernandez again admonished Lizbeth M. and Michelle D. before proceeding to the Maywood Police Department. Defendant was being detained in the carport or “sally port” area of the police station. Overhead lighting and a spotlight illuminated the area. As Officer Fernandez drove into the carport, both girls immediately said, “That’s him.”

Fernanda P. spoke with Officer Fernandez the following morning. She described the van and its color. Fernanda P. also told Officer Fernandez about the hat defendant wore. Fernanda P. positively identified defendant at trial as the individual that showed her the magazine.

III. Discussion

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
130 Cal. Rptr. 2d 800, 106 Cal. App. 4th 445, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-morales-calctapp-2003.