People v. Oats CA4/1

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 20, 2020
DocketD076792
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Oats CA4/1 (People v. Oats CA4/1) 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. Oats CA4/1, (Cal. Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

Filed 11/20/20 P. v. Oats CA4/1 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

COURT OF APPEAL, FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION ONE

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE PEOPLE, D076792

Plaintiff and Respondent,

v. (Super. Ct. No. SCD282660)

SINCLAIRE OATS,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of San Diego County, Polly H. Shamoon, Judge. Affirmed in part; reversed in part; remanded with directions. Kenneth J. Vandevelde, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Xavier Becerra, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Julie L. Garland, Assistant Attorney General, Eric Swenson and Allison V. Acosta, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. Sinclaire Oats was charged with attending an arranged illicit meeting

with a minor (Pen. Code,1 § 288.4, subd. (b); count 1), contacting a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense (§ 288.3, subd. (a); count 2), and sending harmful matter to a minor with the intent to seduce the minor (§ 288.2, subd. (a); count 3). Oats pled guilty to count 3 in exchange for dismissal of counts 1 and 2. The court suspended imposition of sentence and granted Oats formal probation for four years. Oats appeals, challenging certain probation conditions. He asserts that the no contact with female minors provision contained in probation conditions 10(k), 10(i), and an additional condition under probation condition 14 is unconstitutional and unauthorized to the extent it prohibits him from having contact with his children. Oats argues that probation condition 7(a), which requires him to take psychotropic medications if prescribed or ordered by a physician is vague and overbroad. He further maintains that probation condition 10(p), prohibiting possession of pornographic material, is vague and overbroad. Oats also claims probation conditions 6(r) and 7(b), which require him to participate in any assessment program chosen by his probation officer as well as any treatment, counseling, or other conduct suggested by the assessments, are an unconstitutional delegation of judicial power. Additionally, he contends that probation condition 6(k), requiring him to notify the probation officer of any contacts with law enforcement, is vague. Finally, Oats insists that the order granting formal probation should be corrected to reflect the fact that probation conditions 15, 16, and 17 were stayed pending a successful completion of probation.

1 Statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise specified. 2 We agree with Oats that probation condition 7(a) is both vague and overbroad. Also, as the government concedes, probation condition 10(p) is vague and needs further clarification by the superior court. Because we are remanding this matter to address these two probation conditions, we additionally will instruct the superior court to make sure the order granting formal probation accurately states what conditions were stayed pending successfully completion of probation. However, as to the remainder of Oats’s claims, we find them forfeited or without merit. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND Oats, a 34-year-old man with a wife and nine children under the age

of 15, had a profile on an application called MeetMe.2 In March 2019, he exchanged numerous messages with a detective who was posing as a 13-year- old girl named “Ash.” Although “Ash’s” profile stated that she was 18 years old, she told Oats that she was 13 years old, and Oats responded, “Ok, Wow, I’m super Lowkey [sic] with you,” and, “Can’t let anyone know about you.” In other messages, Oats asked “Ash” when she would “be ready to get some king dick in [her] life,” told her she could perform oral sex on him, and sent her a photo of his erect penis. On March 13, Oats arranged to meet with “Ash” to have sex in his car, after he picked up his children from school and dropped them off at home. While he was on his way to the arranged meeting, Oats sent “Ash” a message telling her to remove her panties so he could “start right away to eat [her] sweet pussy and then have sex.” When Oats exited his car at the meeting point, the police arrested him and discovered a box of condoms in his possession.

2 Because Oats pled guilty, we take the background facts from the probation report. 3 Oats admitted sending the picture of his penis as well as using several online dating apps. When the police searched Oats’s phone, they found a message in which Oats appeared to solicit a sex act and other messages with an unknown person involving payment for images. Officers also found photos on his phone depicting females “who appeared to be under age or considered ‘age difficult.’ ” Oats was charged with attending an arranged illicit meeting with a minor (§ 288.4, subd. (b); count 1), contacting a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense (§ 288.3, subd. (a); count 2), and sending harmful matter to a minor with the intent to seduce the minor (§ 288.2, subd. (a); count 3). Oats pled guilty to count 3 in exchange for dismissal of counts 1 and 2. At this sentencing hearing, the superior court began by asking whether this case had been referred to Child Protective Services (CPS). The court explained, “[T]his [case] deals with a very serious offense of an arranged meeting to have sex with a 13-year-old girl. [Oats] has three other daughters in the house, all minors around that age, at least one of them[,] with another baby on the way. And CPS looks like [it] has done nothing to look into that. And I’m not sure if his wife is protecting those children. . . . So that’s a concern to the Court.” The court then imposed “an absolute no contact with any minor female under the age of 18” order as a condition of probation. The court explained that the condition meant “no contact with any minor females under the age of 18 until further court order, which means he can’t go live at home with his

4 daughters under the age of 18 until after this Court gives him permission,

which will be after he attends a significant amount of sex offender therapy.”3 Oats’s counsel objected to imposition of the no contact condition (probation condition 14), claiming that it was overbroad and that there was no evidence that Oats had behaved inappropriately with his own children. Defense counsel pointed out that the “detectives . . . had plenty of opportunity to interview [Oats’s] family. And [probation condition 14] is basically going to force [Oats] into a potentially homeless situation . . . .” In response, the superior court “clarif[ied] for the record . . . the facts that ha[d] been presented to” the court. To this end, the court explained:

“The defendant met with the victim on social media. Although it was an undercover agent, to him it was a 13- year-old girl named Ash. He contacted her, and they had correspondence on numerous occasions. She told him that she was 13 years old. He said he wants to be low key about that and not tell anybody.

“His next conversation, including conversations about sex, specifically asking, ‘When are you going to be ready for some king dick in your life,’ specifically referring to sexual acts.

“He went on to specifically correspond with this seemingly 13-year-old girl about how she can perform oral sex on him, how they can have sex in a regular way, and how they would meet to have sex. And in fact, he says to her, ‘I have to pick up my kids from school and drop them

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People v. Oats CA4/1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-oats-ca41-calctapp-2020.