People v. Philpot

122 Cal. App. 4th 893, 2004 D.A.R. 12, 2004 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 8819, 2004 Daily Journal DAR 12061, 19 Cal. Rptr. 3d 280, 2004 Cal. App. LEXIS 1607
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 27, 2004
DocketNo. E034238
StatusPublished
Cited by79 cases

This text of 122 Cal. App. 4th 893 (People v. Philpot) 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. Philpot, 122 Cal. App. 4th 893, 2004 D.A.R. 12, 2004 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 8819, 2004 Daily Journal DAR 12061, 19 Cal. Rptr. 3d 280, 2004 Cal. App. LEXIS 1607 (Cal. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

Opinion

RICHLI, J.

A jury found defendant guilty of two counts of unlawfully taking or driving a vehicle (Veh. Code, § 10851, subd. (a)) (counts 1 and 2); one count of grand theft of personal property (Pen. Code, § 487, subd. (a))1 (count 3); and one count of misdemeanor battery (§ 242) (count 4). The jury also found true that defendant had sustained three prior strike convictions within the meaning of sections 667, subdivisions (b) through (i), and 1170.12, subdivisions (a) through (d). As a result, defendant was sentenced to 25 years to life on count 1, counts 2 and 3 were stayed pursuant to section 654, and he was sentenced to time served on count 4.

On appeal, defendant contends (1) his conviction on count 2 must be reversed because an automobile with an attached trailer supports only one conviction for unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle; (2) the trial court abused its discretion by refusing to strike his prior strike convictions; and (3) he is entitled to 110 days of additional presentence custody credits for time served. We agree with defendant that he is entitled to 110 more days of custody credits. We reject defendant’s remaining contentions.

[898]*898I

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

On September 5, 2002, Jose Montanez was working for Omar Martenez’s gardening and landscaping business as a landscaper. On that date, Montanez drove his employer’s 1985 Toyota pickup truck, license plate No. 2S31078, to Kern Memorial Chapel in Victorville. The truck had Martenez’s 2001 Aztec utility trailer, license plate No. 1KC3494, which contained about $5,000 worth of Martenez’s machinery and equipment used for landscaping, attached to it.

When Montanez arrived at the mortuary, he parked the truck in front of the chapel, placed the keys underneath a seat, and began working. After finishing, he returned to the front of the chapel and noticed that the truck and the attached trailer were missing. At Montanez’s request, a chapel employee called the police while Montanez called his employer, Martenez.

Martenez thereafter drove to the mortuary to pick up Montanez. While en route, Martenez saw the truck on the opposite side of the freeway being driven by a White male, later identified as defendant. Martenez tried to turn around to follow the truck but was unable to do so in time. Martenez then drove to the mortuary and reported his observations to the responding officer, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Kelle Ammerman.

Deputy Ammerman headed to the freeway, and Martenez and Montanez followed. As they were driving on the freeway, Deputy Ammerman, Martenez, and Montanez saw the truck parked at a mechanic’s shop on the other side of the freeway. However, by the time they turned around and arrived at the auto shop, the truck and trailer were gone. All of Martenez’s gardening tools, however, were at the shop.

Jaime Jimenez owned the auto shop and explained that defendant drove to his shop and asked Jimenez to buy the equipment in the trailer. Defendant told Jimenez that he needed to sell his gardening equipment in order to have money for food and gas to go to Las Vegas because he was having problems with his wife. Defendant asked for $400 for the equipment, but Jimenez only had $230 on him at the time. Defendant agreed to accept $230 and gave Jimenez a hedge trimmer, a weed trimmer, and two lawn mowers. At Jimenez’s request, defendant signed a sales receipt, which included defendant’s driver’s license number. Jimenez also wrote down the license plate number of the truck and trailer. After the sale of the stolen equipment, defendant got back into the truck and drove away.

[899]*899Meanwhile, Martenez called two other employees, Omar and Ulises Dominguez, to assist in the search for the truck. The Dominguez brothers drove to the area where the truck had last been spotted and saw defendant drive past them in the truck on the opposite side of the road. The Dominguez brothers made a U-turn and stopped next to defendant at a red light. Martenez’s trailer was still attached to the truck. Omar asked defendant to pull over. Defendant did not respond or pull over but continued to drive forward.

The Dominguez brothers followed defendant for about 20 minutes until defendant got trapped in an alley by another car. The Dominguez brothers approached the truck. Omar asked defendant to turn the truck off and told him that he worked for Martenez and that the truck was stolen. When defendant refused to turn the truck off, Ulises opened the passenger side door and attempted to turn off the truck’s engine. As he reached inside the truck for the keys, defendant struck Ulises on the left side of his upper cheek. After defendant refused to comply with Omar’s request to exit the truck, Omar grabbed defendant and pulled him out of the truck. After a brief struggle, Ulises tied defendant’s feet up with some rope and called the police.

Deputies Johnson and Ammerman arrived and arrested defendant. As Deputy Ammerman escorted defendant to his patrol vehicle, defendant stated that he had just been walking down the alley when the Dominguez brothers appeared out of nowhere and began beating him up. Deputy Ammerman then pat-searched defendant and found $230 cash in his pocket.

Deputy Ammerman thereafter took defendant to the hospital because defendant appeared to be somewhat injured. While defendant was receiving medical attention, Deputy Ammerman overheard defendant say, “I know I committed a crime, and I was wrong; but they didn’t need to do that to me. I would like to take action against them.”

II

DISCUSSION

A. Defendant’s Conviction on Count 2

Defendant was convicted on count 1 for the unlawful driving or taking of the truck, and on count 2 for the unlawful taking or driving of the attached trailer. Defendant contends his conviction on count 2 must be reversed because the theft of an automobile with an attached trailer supports only one conviction for vehicle theft. The People respond that because Vehicle Code section 10851, subdivision (a) punishes the unlawful driving or taking of a [900]*900“vehicle,” not a “motor vehicle,” and because a trailer qualifies as a vehicle under the Vehicle Code, defendant was properly convicted of two counts of vehicle theft. We are inclined to agree with the People.

Like the parties, we have found no cases on point directly addressing this particular issue and note that this issue presents a close call. However, we believe the canons of statutory construction and an analysis of the language of Vehicle Code sections 670 and 10851 supports the People’s position.

Although our analysis of legislative history has been to no avail, we reason that under the plain language of Vehicle Code section 10851, a person who steals a truck with an attached trailer may properly be convicted of two counts of violating Vehicle Code section 10851. In reviewing this and other statutory provisions, we are mindful of the rules governing statutory interpretation, which are well settled. “We begin with the fundamental premise that the objective of statutory interpretation is to ascertain and effectuate legislative intent. [Citations.]” (People v. Flores (2003) 30 Cal.4th 1059, 1063 [135 Cal.Rptr.2d 63, 69 P.3d 979]; see also People v. Coronado (1995) 12 Cal.4th 145, 151 [48 Cal.Rptr.2d 77, 906 P.2d 1232

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122 Cal. App. 4th 893, 2004 D.A.R. 12, 2004 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 8819, 2004 Daily Journal DAR 12061, 19 Cal. Rptr. 3d 280, 2004 Cal. App. LEXIS 1607, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-philpot-calctapp-2004.