People v. Ramage CA5

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 10, 2024
DocketF086997
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Ramage CA5 (People v. Ramage CA5) 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. Ramage CA5, (Cal. Ct. App. 2024).

Opinion

Filed 12/10/24 P. v. Ramage CA5

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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

FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

THE PEOPLE, F086997 Plaintiff and Respondent, (Super. Ct. No. BF185802A) v.

JOSHUA LARUE RAMAGE, OPINION Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Kern County. Charles R. Brehmer, Judge. Cynthia Lee Barnes, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Kimberley A. Donohue, Assistant Attorney General, Julie A. Hokans and Jessica Trieu-Simerly, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. -ooOoo-

INTRODUCTION Defendant and appellant Joshua LaRue Ramage was convicted of driving under the influence and committing an illegal act or failing to perform a legal duty that caused physical harm (Veh. Code, § 23153, subd. (a)),1 driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent or more and committing an illegal act or failing to perform a legal duty that caused injury (§ 23153, subd. (b)), and hit and run causing death or serious bodily injury (§ 20001, subd. (b)(2)). The jury found true the allegations that Ramage personally inflicted great bodily injury upon A.B. in violation of Penal Code section 12022.7, subd. (a), personally inflicted great bodily injury, coma or paralysis to A.B. within the meaning of Penal Code section 12022.7, subd. (b), and proximately caused bodily injury to more than one victim within the meaning of Penal Code section 23558. On appeal, Ramage claims there was insufficient evidence that he committed an illegal act or neglected a legal duty which caused the injury to sustain the convictions for driving under the influence and driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent or higher causing injury. We conclude substantial evidence supports Ramage’s convictions and affirm the judgment. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND On May 17, 2022, the Kern County District Attorney charged Ramage with driving while under the influence of alcohol and committing an illegal act or failing to perform a legal duty that caused injury (§ 23153, subd. (a); count 1); driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or more and committing an illegal act or failing to perform a legal duty that caused injury (§ 23153, subd. (b); count 2), and hit and run causing death or permanent serious injury (§ 20001, subd. (b)(2); count 3.) As to the first two counts, it was alleged that Ramage personally inflicted great bodily injury to A.B. (Pen. Code, § 12022.7, subd. (a)), personally inflicted coma or paralysis to A.B. (Pen. Code, § 12022.7, subd. (b)), caused bodily injury to more than one victim (§ 23558), and had a blood alcohol level above 0.15 percent (§ 23578). Several aggravating factors for sentencing were also alleged. (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 4.421(a)(1), (3).)

1 All statutory references are to the Vehicle Code unless stated otherwise.

2. On May 31, 2023, a jury found Ramage guilty on all counts charged and found each of the allegations to be true. On October 12, 2023, the trial court denied probation and sentenced Ramage to an aggregate term of six years four months in state prison. The term consisted of the low term of 16 months on Count 1, plus an additional five years for the personal infliction of coma or paralysis enhancement. The court imposed and stayed the three years for the personal infliction of great bodily injury enhancement and the one year for the multiple victims enhancement. As to Count 2, the court sentenced Ramage to the upper term and imposed sentences for the enhancements but stayed these sentences pursuant to Penal Code section 654. As to Count 3, the court sentenced Ramage to the upper term but stayed the sentence pursuant to Penal Code section 654. FACTUAL BACKGROUND Prosecution case On May 1, 2021,2 around 9:00 p.m., after getting food, D.A. (a male) and A.B. (a female) got on their bicycles and began riding back to A.B.’s mother’s house. They rode down Stockdale Highway in the bike lane, with D.A. riding in front of A.B. D.A. said that both of their bicycles had reflectors and lights, and A.B.’s bike had a forward facing battery-operated light. At around 9:14 p.m. on May 1, S.D. was driving her car on Stockdale Village and leaving the Vons shopping center with her daughter when she saw two bicyclists pass her. She waited at the corner for the bicyclists to turn right and get into the bicycle lane before she turned right to go westbound on Stockdale Highway. The male bicyclist was riding in front of the female bicyclist. Once on Stockdale Highway, both bicyclists were riding in the bike lane. Although neither bicyclist was wearing a helmet or reflective

2 References to dates are to dates in 2021 unless stated otherwise.

3. clothing, the lighting in the area was adequate, there were no obstructions in the road, and S.D. could see them. As S.D. was driving in the far right lane on Stockdale Highway, a large SUV came up next to her in the middle lane at approximately 55 or 60 miles per hour and then moved into her lane and cut her off. She had to slam on her brakes. The SUV continued into the bicycle lane without braking and struck both bicyclists. S.D. stated, “Unfortunately, I did see it all” and affirmed that D.A. and A.B. were both in the bicycle lane at the time of the collision. The SUV struck A.B. first, and the impact “put her up in the air and then she fell down onto her head.” Then “the brunt of that continued onto the first bicyclist.” The SUV continued driving past the right-turn lane into the Vons parking lot and went westbound on the frontage road. She observed that the bicyclists were struck “near the beginning of the paint where it says ‘bike.’ ” The lighting was adequate in that area, enough for her to observe the bicyclists prior to and during the incident and observe the collision. On cross-examination, S.D. stated that when she hit the brakes after being cut off by the SUV, she heard the collision first, then looked up and saw the female coming down. S.D. immediately told her daughter to call 911 while she checked on the victims. When S.D. checked on A.B., she noticed A.B.’s eyes were open and tracking but not blinking; A.B.’s breathing was shallow, and she did not move or speak. S.D. stayed at the scene of the collision for about 30 to 45 minutes, but she never saw the SUV return to the scene. At around the same time, B.T. was riding in the front passenger seat as her daughter drove westbound by the Vons shopping center. They were in the far right lane when a truck about 10 to 12 feet in front of them suddenly veered to the right, hit two bicyclists who were riding in the bicycle lane, and threw them off their bicycles. The truck did not brake at all; it just swerved to the right and collided with the bicyclists.

4. B.T. said that the weather was clear and there were no obstructions on the road that would cause the truck to veer to the right. After the collision, the truck did not stop and instead quickly fled the scene. B.T.’s daughter followed the truck as B.T. tried to get the license plate number. It turned onto Rio Bravo Drive and sped through the streets. B.T. was unable to get the license plate number because each time they got close, the truck sped up and maintained its distance. After they pursued the truck for “a good four minutes,” the driver turned off the truck’s headlights and continued to drive. B.T. and her daughter lost track of it in the dark. B.T.

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

Related

Jackson v. Virginia
443 U.S. 307 (Supreme Court, 1979)
People v. Watkins
290 P.3d 364 (California Supreme Court, 2012)
People v. Johnson
606 P.2d 738 (California Supreme Court, 1980)
People v. Levens
82 P.2d 698 (California Court of Appeal, 1938)
People v. Hernandez
219 Cal. App. 3d 1177 (California Court of Appeal, 1990)
People v. Thurston
212 Cal. App. 2d 713 (California Court of Appeal, 1963)
People v. Weems
54 Cal. App. 4th 854 (California Court of Appeal, 1997)
People v. Sanchez
6 Cal. Rptr. 3d 271 (California Court of Appeal, 2003)
People v. Albillar
244 P.3d 1062 (California Supreme Court, 2010)
People v. Young
105 P.3d 487 (California Supreme Court, 2005)
People v. Mitchell
26 P.3d 1040 (California Supreme Court, 2001)
People v. Zamudio
181 P.3d 105 (California Supreme Court, 2008)
People v. Givan
233 Cal. App. 4th 335 (California Court of Appeal, 2015)
People v. F.H.
192 Cal. App. 4th 1465 (California Court of Appeal, 2011)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
People v. Ramage CA5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-ramage-ca5-calctapp-2024.