People v. Prieto CA2/7

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 6, 2024
DocketB327387
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Prieto CA2/7 (People v. Prieto CA2/7) 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. Prieto CA2/7, (Cal. Ct. App. 2024).

Opinion

Filed 2/6/24 P. v. Prieto CA2/7 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 SEVEN

THE PEOPLE, B327387

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. 2PHO4976) v.

JEFFREY PRIETO,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from an order of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Robert Kawahara, Temporary Judge. (Pursuant to Cal. Const., art VI, § 21.) Affirmed. Megan Denkers Baca, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Susan Sullivan Pithey, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Wyatt E. Bloomfield, Supervising Deputy Attorney General, and Lindsay Boyd, Deputy Attorney General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. INTRODUCTION

After serving more than 30 years in prison for murder, Jeffrey Prieto was released on parole, subject to various terms and conditions, including that he report to his parole agent as required and that he enroll in and complete a substance abuse program. After failing to comply with these terms, the trial court revoked Prieto’s parole and remanded him back to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Board of Parole Hearings. Prieto appeals, and we affirm.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

A. Prieto Is Convicted of Murder, Released on Parole, and Expelled from His Drug Program In 1988 a jury convicted Prieto of second degree murder, and the trial court sentenced him to prison for 15 years to life. He was released on parole in April 2018. Because Prieto had a history of substance abuse, the terms and conditions of parole required him to enroll in and complete a substance abuse program. He also had to comply with all directions and instructions of his parole agent and to inform his agent of any change in residence within 72 hours. Prieto’s parole agent was Tony Manzanares. Agent Manzanares saw Prieto semimonthly from April 2018 until June 2022. He referred Prieto to substance abuse and housing programs multiple times, including programs in San Fernando, Hollywood, and Van Nuys. Prieto, however, did not enroll in

2 most of those programs and, when did enroll, he refused to participate voluntarily and left after a month or so. In all, Prieto was charged five times with violating the terms and conditions of his parole, including for absconding from parole supervision, failing to participate in a housing program, and using controlled substances (methamphetamine).1 After the last parole violation charge, the court referred Prieto to a residential substance abuse program called God’s Property Sober Living Foundation and dismissed the petition alleging the violation. On May 20, 2022 Prieto enrolled in the program, which required a “30-day blackout” period where Prieto could not leave the facility and a 90-day period where he had “to attend all meetings, all groups, [and] all classes.” Within a few weeks, however, God’s Property asked Prieto to leave because he violated the program’s no-tolerance policy against disrespecting staff and he refused to attend mandatory meetings. On several occasions he swore at staff members in front of other patients and said, “I’m not going to listen to you faggots.” On another occasion, Prieto stayed in bed and refused to participate in mandatory substance abuse counseling meetings.2 After giving Prieto warnings and “multiple write-ups” for “cursing out staff,”

1 Prieto testified this incident was the only time he used a controlled substance in the last 10 years. 2 Prieto denied that he made these comments or that he disrespected staff. He said the program immediately discharged him one day when he did not go to a meeting because he was not feeling well. He told his clinical social worker at the public defender’s office the same thing. Prieto said he participated in every group meeting and gave his “best effort not to be kicked out of that house.”

3 God’s Property on June 7, 2022 asked Prieto to leave the facility, discharged him from the program, and notified the referring agent or the court he had been discharged.3

B. Prieto Absconds from Parole Supervision and Cannot Be Found Agent Manzanares called the facility when he learned Prieto had been discharged on June 7, 2022. Agent Manzanares first tried unsuccessfully to reach Pietro by phone. He then tried to find Prieto by driving around Los Angeles and looking in locations he had seen Prieto in the past, including the neighborhood near the God’s Property facility, an alley behind the residence of Prieto’s sister, and a park. Agent Manzanares also checked law enforcement databases, the coroner’s office, and a local hospital, but he could not find Prieto. Agent Manzanares also confirmed Prieto had not reported or been in contact with the parole office. Agent Manzanares was unable to find Prieto and never heard from him. Prieto had Agent Manzanares’s cell phone number, his direct office line number, and the parole office main number, but, according to Agent Manzanares, he had no communication with Prieto after June 7, 2022.

3 By the time of the probation violation hearing, God’s Property was willing to take Prieto back into the program (although at a different facility) because the director of the program “believes that everybody deserves a second chance.” God’s Property did not make this offer on June 7, 2022, however, because Prieto gave no indication that he was sorry for his behavior, that he wanted to stay, or that he wanted help.

4 Agent Manzanares learned Prieto was arrested on August 25, 2022.4

C. The Trial Court Revokes Parole The Department’s Division of Adult Parole Operations filed a petition to revoke Prieto’s parole. The petition alleged God’s Property had terminated Prieto from the facility for “not following the rules and requirements of the program” and “being disrespectful to staff.” The petition also alleged Prieto had violated the terms and conditions of his parole five times, including by absconding from parole supervision, failing to contact his parole agent, and failing “to successfully complete a substance abuse program.” Agent Manzanares’s parole violation report attached to the petition stated: “Alternative sanctions have been considered . . . but deemed inappropriate due to Prieto’s unwillingness to comply with his conditions of parole imposed and a court order to enroll in and successfully complete a drug treatment program. Prieto has an extensive history of non- compliance with [Division of Adult Parole Operations] directives and refuses to participate and successfully complete treatment. This will be Prieto’s sixth parole violation to date including six incidents related to drug use or absconding in the past year. The fact that Prieto continually refuses to comply with multiple conditions of his parole indicates an ongoing pattern of criminality making him a threat to public safety. Prieto needs to

4 Pietro stated that he called Agent Manzanares and left him a message, but that the battery in the phone he was using died. Prieto also said that on June 8, 2022 he left a voicemail message with his social worker, stating he had been expelled from God’s Property and was “back on the street.” The social worker, however, was unable to reach him, and he never called her back.

5 be held accountable for his actions to prevent further criminal acts. The Division of Adult Parole Operations and the court [have] attempted to maintain Prieto in the community with no success.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

People v. Tully
282 P.3d 173 (California Supreme Court, 2012)
People v. McCullough
298 P.3d 860 (California Supreme Court, 2013)
People v. Bravo
738 P.2d 336 (California Supreme Court, 1987)
People Ex Rel. Gallo v. Acuna
929 P.2d 596 (California Supreme Court, 1997)
People v. Kipp
956 P.2d 1169 (California Supreme Court, 1998)
In Re Miller
52 Cal. Rptr. 3d 256 (California Court of Appeal, 2006)
People v. Shepherd
60 Cal. Rptr. 3d 616 (California Court of Appeal, 2007)
People v. Kurey
106 Cal. Rptr. 2d 150 (California Court of Appeal, 2001)
People v. Eddie M.
73 P.3d 1115 (California Supreme Court, 2003)
People v. Ochoa
966 P.2d 442 (California Supreme Court, 1999)
People v. Osorio CA4/3
235 Cal. App. 4th 1408 (California Court of Appeal, 2015)
People v. Hronchak
2 Cal. App. 5th 884 (California Court of Appeal, 2016)
People v. Urke
197 Cal. App. 4th 766 (California Court of Appeal, 2011)
People v. Butcher
247 Cal. App. 4th 310 (California Court of Appeal, 2016)
People v. Zamudio
218 Cal. Rptr. 3d 543 (California Court of Appeals, 5th District, 2017)
People v. Buell
224 Cal. Rptr. 3d 498 (California Court of Appeals, 5th District, 2017)
Oto, L. L.C. v. Kho
447 P.3d 680 (California Supreme Court, 2019)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
People v. Prieto CA2/7, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-prieto-ca27-calctapp-2024.