People v. Petri

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 10, 2020
DocketH045990
StatusPublished

This text of People v. Petri (People v. Petri) 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. Petri, (Cal. Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

Filed 2/10/20 CERTIFIED FOR PUBLICATION

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SIXTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

THE PEOPLE, H045990 (Santa Clara County Plaintiff and Respondent, Super. Ct. Nos. B1687703, C1646362)

v.

JEFFREY ROBERT PETRI,

Defendant and Appellant.

I. INTRODUCTION In case No. B1687703, defendant Jeffrey Robert Petri pleaded no contest to grand theft (Pen. Code, §§ 484, 487, subd. (a))1 and admitted that he had served one prior prison term (former § 667.5, subd. (b)). In case No. C1646362, defendant pleaded no contest to embezzlement (§§ 504, 487) and also admitted that he had served one prior prison term (former § 667.5, subd. (b)). At a combined sentencing hearing, the trial court sentenced defendant to four years in jail with 577 days of custody credits. In each case, the court ordered defendant to pay a restitution fine of $300 (§ 1202.4, subd. (b)), a court operations assessment of $40 (§ 1465.8), and a court facilities assessment of $30 (Gov. Code, § 70373). Upon motion by defendant, the court at a subsequent hearing, struck the prior prison term enhancement in case No. C1646362. On appeal, defendant first contends that, based on People v. Dueñas (2019) 30 Cal.App.5th 1157 (Dueñas), the trial court violated his due process rights under the

1 All further statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise indicated. California and federal Constitutions because the court failed to find that he had the present ability to pay the amounts imposed. Second, defendant argues that the court erred in denying him additional presentence custody credits for time spent in custody in Ohio. Third, we understand defendant to contend that in case No. B1687703, the prior prison term enhancement (§ 667.5, subd. (b)) must be stricken because the enhancement no longer applies to him based on recent legislation. For reasons that we will explain, we determine that defendant’s due process rights were not violated by the trial court’s failure to make an ability to pay finding, the issue of custody credits is moot, and the prior prison term enhancement in case No. B1687703 must be stricken. We also determine that clerical errors in the abstract of judgment must be corrected. II. BACKGROUND On August 22, 2016, defendant was charged by complaint in case No. B1687703 with forgery (§ 476; count 1) and grand theft (§§ 484, 487, subd. (a); count 2). Defendant allegedly committed the offenses in January 2016. The complaint also alleged that defendant had served two prior prison terms (former § 667.5, subd. (b)). On September 9, 2016, defendant was charged by complaint in case No. C1646362 with embezzlement (§§ 504, 487). Defendant allegedly committed the offense in mid-2016. The complaint also alleged that defendant had served five prior prison terms (former § 667.5, subd. (b)). On December 1, 2017, in the first case (No. B1687703), defendant pleaded no contest to grand theft and admitted that he had served one prior prison term. In the second case (No. C1646362), defendant pleaded no contest to embezzlement and admitted that he had served one prior prison term. Defendant entered his pleas and admissions pursuant to a plea bargain in exchange for an agreed-upon sentence of four years concurrent in each case.

2 The combined sentencing hearing was held on May 17, 2018. Defendant contended that he was entitled to presentence custody credit for time spent in custody in Ohio because there was a “hold out of California” and the time was not credited toward a sentence in Ohio. The trial court denied defendant’s request. The trial court proceeded to deny probation in both cases and sentence defendant to four years in jail in the first case (No. B1687703) and a concurrent term of four years in jail in the second case (No. C1646362). (See § 1170, subd. (h).) The term in each case consisted of the upper term of three years and a consecutive term of one year for the prior prison term enhancement. In both cases, defendant was granted 577 days of custody credits, consisting of 289 actual days and 288 days conduct credit. The calculation of actual days was based on the date of defendant’s arrest in California through the date of sentencing. The trial court also ordered defendant to pay in the first case (No. B1687703) a restitution fine of $300 (§ 1202.4, subd. (b)), a court operations assessment of $40 (§ 1465.8), a court facilities assessment of $30 (Gov. Code, § 70373), and victim restitution as determined by the court, including, but not limited to, $8,037.69 to Citi Security and Investigation Services. In the second case (No. C1646362), defendant was ordered to pay a restitution fine of $300, a court operations assessment of $40, a court facilities assessment of $30, and victim restitution as determined by the court, including, but not limited to, $9,019.19 to Pruneridge Touchstone Golf.2 The remaining counts and allegations in both cases were dismissed. Defendant subsequently filed a motion in the trial court again seeking presentence custody credits for time spent in custody in Ohio. He also contended that the trial court

2 The felony abstract of judgment dated June 4, 2018, incorrectly states that Pruneridge Touchstone Golf was awarded only $4,049.19 in restitution. We will direct the trial court to prepare an amended abstract of judgment that accurately reflects the court’s oral pronouncement. 3 incorrectly imposed an enhancement for the same prior prison term (former § 667.5, subd. (b)) in each case instead of imposing it only once for both cases. The trial court denied defendant’s motion requesting additional custody credits, but it granted the motion regarding the prior prison term enhancements and struck the enhancement in the second case (No. C1646362). III. DISCUSSION A. Fines and Assessments At sentencing, prior to imposing any fines or fees, the trial court stated that the court “assume[s] that [defendant] doesn’t have any ability to pay fines and fees based on an inability to pay.” The court stated that it would not impose a $10 fine (§ 1202.5) or a booking fee (see Gov. Code, §§ 29550, 29550.1 and 29550.2) “based on inability to pay.” Relevant to this appeal, the court ordered defendant to pay in each case a restitution fine of $300 (§ 1202.4, subd. (b)), a court operations assessment of $40 (§ 1465.8), and a court facilities assessment of $30 (Gov. Code, § 70373). Defendant contends that, based on Dueñas, supra, 30 Cal.App.5th 1157, which was decided after he was sentenced, the imposition of the restitution fine, the court operations assessment, and the court facilities assessment violated his due process rights under the California and federal Constitutions because the trial court did not find that he had the present ability to pay. He argues that the assessments should be vacated, and that the restitution fine be stayed until the prosecutor can show that defendant has the present ability to pay. Defendant contends that his claim has not been forfeited because the trial court made a legal error at sentencing and because it would have been futile to object. The Attorney General contends that defendant forfeited his claim by failing to object on due process grounds below and by failing to provide evidence of his inability to pay. The Attorney General also argues that Dueñas was wrongly decided as to restitution fines, and that the issue should be analyzed under the excessive fines clause of the Eighth Amendment to the federal Constitution where “ability to pay is not determinative.” The 4 Attorney General “does not take issue with Dueñas” regarding Dueñas’s holding that court operations and court facilities assessments may not be imposed if a defendant demonstrates an inability to pay. For reasons that we will explain, we determine that defendant fails to demonstrate error in the court’s imposition of the fines and assessments.

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Bluebook (online)
People v. Petri, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-petri-calctapp-2020.