People v. Navarette CA2/3

California Court of Appeal·Decided February 3, 2014·No. B247008·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 2/3/14 P. v. Navarette CA2/3 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION THREE

THE PEOPLE, B247008

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. KA096065) v.

JONATHAN NAVARETTE,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Robert M. Martinez, Judge. Affirmed.

Gideon Margolis, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant.

No appearance for Plaintiff and Respondent.

_________________________ Defendant and appellant, Jonathan Navarette, appeals from the judgment entered following a jury trial1 which resulted in his conviction of second degree robbery (Pen. Code, § 211),2 during which a principal was armed with a firearm (§ 12022, subd. (a)(1)), attempted second degree robbery (§§ 664, 211), during which he personally used a firearm (§ 12022.53, subd. (b)) and petty theft (§ 484, subd. (a)). The trial court sentenced Navarette to 12 years in state prison. We affirm. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND 1. Facts. a. Count 1 – second degree robbery. In late-September 2011, Craig Caddow wished to purchase a car. He looked on Craig’s List, “a place to list for sale and for buying different things on the internet,” and found an advertisement for a silver Honda he was interested in purchasing. Caddow called the telephone number listed in the advertisement and spoke to a man who identified himself as Albert. Albert indicated he was willing to sell the car for $5,000 and he and Caddow made a plan to meet at the Banning Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The following day, Caddow’s mother dropped him off at the DMV. After a few minutes, Caddow saw the Honda pull into the parking lot. Caddow walked over, spoke with Albert for a few moments, drove the car, then offered to pay $4,700 for it as the paint “was quite a bit rougher than [Albert] had described [it].” Albert, who Caddow later identified as Navarette’s codefendant, Adalberto Gildo, accepted the offer and Caddow gave to him $4,700. The two men then went into the DMV to finish the transaction. At that time, Caddow noticed that the name on the pink slip to the car was not Gildo’s, but that of a woman named Beatris. After Gildo and Caddow walked out of

1 Navarette was tried with a codefendant, Adalberto Gildo. However a separate jury was selected for and decided each defendant’s case. Although both juries heard evidence which applied to both defendants, only the jury assigned to Navarette heard evidence which pertained only to him. 2 All further statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise indicated.

2 the DMV, Gildo told Caddow that he would simply forge Beatris’s signature. However when Caddow indicated he was not comfortable with that approach, Gildo called Beatris, then told Caddow that she was at work at a Sears store and they would have to drive half- way, somewhere between Banning and La Puente, to meet with her to get her signature. When Gildo had arrived at the DMV parking lot, Caddow had noticed that he had been followed by a man in a red Jeep. Caddow had also noticed that the Jeep had all hand controls as if it had been modified for a paraplegic and, before he and Gildo had gone into the DMV, Caddow had spoken with the man in the Jeep because Gildo had failed to bring any identification with him. The man in the Jeep had showed to Caddow his identification which indicated his address was in Los Angeles. Although at this point Caddow was “a little nervous” because Gildo had no identification and the name on the pink slip was not his, Caddow nevertheless offered to drive the Honda half-way to La Puente to obtain Beatris’s signature. Caddow indicated that, after he had gotten Beatris’s signature on the Honda’s pink slip, he would go to the DMV and complete the transaction. Caddow began driving toward La Puente with Gildo in the passenger seat and the man in the Jeep following behind. During the trip, Gildo received several telephone calls, after one of which he informed Caddow that Beatris could not get off of work and they would have to drive the entire distance to the La Puente Mall to meet with her. When they arrived at the mall, Gildo told Caddow where to park. At that time, Caddow had the keys to the car and, when he asked Gildo if there was another set, Gildo told him there was not. Before Caddow and Gildo headed toward the mall, they walked over to the Jeep, which had parked approximately 15 feet from the Honda. Gildo told the driver that they were going into the mall and “just to wait.” As Gildo and Caddow walked toward the Sears store, Caddow noticed a man, who was later identified as Navarette, walking in the other direction. Caddow then heard the alarm go off on the Honda and, when he looked, Caddow saw the “Honda lights [go] off and [he] noticed it unlock.” It appeared to Caddow that Navarette was walking toward the Honda so he too began to walk back toward the Honda. Not only had Caddow paid

3 Gildo $4,700 for the car, he had left in the car his phone, iPad, keys and briefcase. As Caddow headed for the Honda, Gildo walked toward the Jeep. Navarette then appeared to be backing away from the car so Caddow turned and ran after Gildo. However, Caddow then “heard the car door over at the Honda open again. [He] turned around and went to grab [the Honda’s open door] and that’s when it all went south.” Navarette attempted to drive the Honda away, but stalled the car. Caddow then struggled with Navarette as he tried to close the partially open car door. At that point, Caddow heard the “chambering of a gun” and heard Gildo yell out, “ ‘Don’t fuck around. You’re going to get shot.’ ” When Caddow looked over his shoulder, he saw Gildo sitting in the back seat of the red Jeep “holding a [black semiautomatic] gun” which he had pointed at Caddow. Caddow, who believed Gildo would shoot him, ran and hid behind a car in the lot. He waited until he saw the Jeep leave the parking lot, then again approached the Honda. By this time, Navarette had shut and locked the door, so Caddow “punched the window three times [then] backed up and jump[] kicked at the window.” Navarette was nevertheless able to pull away, drive out of the parking lot, turn onto the main street and drive toward the 60 Freeway. After the Jeep and the Honda left the parking lot, Caddow called 911. When Caddow later spoke with police, he gave them a description of the Honda and what he believed to be the license plate number and told them that one of the individuals involved in the taking of his money and the car had pointed a gun at him. Caddow was then shown a photographic lineup. After reading the admonition, Caddow identified Gildo as the man who had aimed the gun at him. On a separate date, after again reading an admonition, Caddow identified Navarette as the individual who had driven the Honda out of the parking lot.3

3 Caddow indicated he was more than 70 percent certain the photograph he had identified was that of Navarette.

4 b. Count 2 – attempted second degree robbery. In October 2011, Naser Tamimi placed an advertisement on Craig’s List indicating he wished to purchase a car for $1,000. Tamimi had put his telephone number in the advertisement and in mid-October he received a call regarding a car from a man who identified himself as “Sergio.”4 Sergio called and “texted” Tamimi several times.

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People v. Navarette CA2/3, (Cal. Ct. App. 2014).

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