People v. Ramudo CA3

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 22, 2014
DocketC074234
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Ramudo CA3 (People v. Ramudo CA3) 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. Ramudo CA3, (Cal. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

Filed 12/22/14 P. v. Ramudo CA3 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published,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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 THIRD APPELLATE DISTRICT (Placer) ----

THE PEOPLE,

Plaintiff and Respondent, C074234

v. (Super. Ct. No. 62120197)

ANTONIO MANUEL RAMUDO,

Defendant and Appellant.

Defendant Antonio Manuel Ramudo entered a no contest plea to arson of an inhabited structure (Pen. Code, § 451, subd. (b); count one)1 and admitted he used a device designed to accelerate the fire or delay ignition of the fire (§ 451.1, subd. (a)(5)). Defendant entered his plea in exchange for dismissal of the remaining counts [arson of a structure or forest (§ 451, subd. (c); count two); possession of flammable material (§ 453, subd. (a); count three)]. The trial court denied probation, finding the presumption of ineligibility was not overcome. The court sentenced defendant to state prison for the low term of three years

1 Undesignated statutory references are to the Penal Code.

1 for the underlying offense. The court imposed a three-year low term for the enhancement and then struck the additional punishment pursuant to section 1385. Defendant appeals. He contends the trial court abused its discretion in finding the presumption of ineligibility for probation was not overcome, claiming the court failed to give significant weight to his age and lack of criminal sophistication. We conclude there was no abuse of discretion. Defendant also challenges the award of custody credits, claiming his offense was a serious, not a violent, offense, the 15 percent limitation of section 2933.1 was eliminated with the 2011 amendment of section 4019, and he is entitled to additional credit for time spent in custody from the date he was sentenced to the date the restitution order was entered. We reject defendant’s credits contentions. However, we conclude the trial court made an addition error in its calculation of presentence custody credits and order the judgment modified. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY Around midnight on November 8, 2012, Mark C., his wife Barbara C., and their teenage twins, son M.C. and daughter N.C., were awakened by their home’s burglar alarm. They had been sleeping upstairs in their two-story home. Mark ran downstairs and found the front window was broken and a fire was burning the carpet in front of the window. Mark and M.C. put out the fire with water from the kitchen. Sheriff deputies arrived and found a note taped to the family’s front door that read, “Leave Town.” Inside the broken window, deputies found a large stone, a sock soaked in flammable liquid, and multiple burn spots on the carpet. On the ground outside the broken window, deputies found a wine bottle with a flame at the top. In the front yard, deputies found a lighter with a marijuana leaf sticker. Deputies concluded the sock and wine bottle had been used to make a “Molotov Cocktail” that fell apart before it completely entered the home. M.C. and N.C. thought defendant and E.G. were responsible for the fire. M.C. and N.C. had had disputes with defendant and E.G. N.C. stated defendant and E.G. chased

2 her home from school when she was in the seventh grade and defendant threw a light bulb at her head when she was in high school in October 2012. After M.C. confronted defendant about the light bulb incident, defendant and E.G. started to harass and insult M.C. The day after the fire, N.C. saw defendant and E.G. staring at her and talking nervously. Sheriff deputies contacted E.G. Although E.G. initially denied knowing anything about the fire, he eventually stated defendant threw the “Molotov Cocktail” into the home because defendant did not like M.C. and N.C. E.G. was not present. E.G. claimed defendant told him he threw a rock through the window and then the device. The sock fell out but a fire started and defendant ran. E.G. stated defendant owned a lighter identical to the one found by the deputies. Sheriff deputies interviewed defendant at his home. Defendant initially denied knowing anything about the fire but when confronted with E.G.’s statements, defendant explained, “ ‘I took a rock and broke the window and then I threw the Molotov Cocktail through the window.’ ” Defendant stated the sock fell out but went inside and started a fire, and the bottle fell to the ground. Defendant then fled. Defendant stated he used lawn mower gasoline as fuel. He committed the offense because he does not like M.C. and N.C., and wanted to scare them. When asked if he intended to kill them, defendant said he was just trying to scare them and did not know what he would have done if they died. Defendant’s father explained defendant probably obtained the empty wine bottle from the trash. A petition filed in juvenile court alleged defendant committed attempted murder (four counts), arson of an inhabited structure, arson of a structure or forest, possessed flammable material, and used a device designed to accelerate the fire or delay ignition of the fire. Defendant was detained. Thereafter, the prosecutor dismissed the four counts of attempted murder. After a fitness hearing, defendant was found unfit for juvenile court.

3 The felony complaint filed in adult court charged the same offenses as alleged in the juvenile petition except the attempted murder counts. Defendant was released on pretrial home detention with a GPS monitoring device. He complied with the terms and conditions of supervised release. After defendant entered his plea, he was remanded into custody with no bail. DISCUSSION I Presumption of Ineligibility for Probation Defendant contends the trial court abused its discretion in finding the presumption of ineligibility for probation was not overcome. He claims the court failed to give significant weight to his age and lack of criminal sophistication. We conclude the trial court did not abuse its discretion. A. Additional Background The probation report stated defendant was ineligible for probation (§ 1203, subd. (e)(9)) unless the court found unusual circumstances warranted a grant of probation.2 Although noting unusual circumstances existed (defendant was youthful: 15 and a half years of age at the time of the offense, and he lacked a record of criminal conduct), the probation officer opined such circumstances did not outweigh the seriousness of defendant’s crime, especially in view of his youthfulness, which “add[ed] to the overall

2 Section 1203, subdivision (e), provides:

“(e) Except in unusual cases where the interests of justice would best be served if the person is granted probation, probation shall not be granted to any of the following persons: [¶] . . . [¶] (9) Any person who . . . intentionally set fire to, burned, or caused the burning of, an inhabited structure or inhabited property in violation of subdivision (b) of Section 451.”

4 seriousness of his actions.”3 With respect to remorse, the probation officer noted defendant brought with him to the probation interview his written statements wherein he

3 Rule references are to the California Rules of Court. Rule 4.413 provides in relevant part:

“(b) If the defendant comes under a statutory provision prohibiting probation ‘except in unusual cases where the interests of justice would best be served,’ or a substantially equivalent provision, the court should apply the criteria in (c) to evaluate whether the statutory limitation on probation is overcome; and if it is, the court should then apply the criteria in rule 4.414 to decide whether to grant probation.

“(c) Facts showing unusual case

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People v. Ramudo CA3, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-ramudo-ca3-calctapp-2014.