People v. Reid

133 Cal. App. 3d 354, 184 Cal. Rptr. 186, 1982 Cal. App. LEXIS 1723
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 30, 1982
DocketCrim. 4988
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 133 Cal. App. 3d 354 (People v. Reid) 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. Reid, 133 Cal. App. 3d 354, 184 Cal. Rptr. 186, 1982 Cal. App. LEXIS 1723 (Cal. Ct. App. 1982).

Opinion

*359 Opinion

CONKLIN, J. *

This isan appeal from a judgment of conviction of four counts of robbery in violation of Penal Code section 211. As to three of these counts, appellant was also found to have used a deadly or dangerous weapon pursuatit to Penal Code section 12022, subdivision (b). Prior to trial, appellant admitted a prior felony conviction.

Appellant was sentenced to state prison for the upper base term of five years for count one, with an additional year "each for the Penal Code section 12022, subdivision (b), enhancement arid_the prior felony conviction. The court imposed additional terms of one year for each of the other counts but ordered that those terms be served concurrently with the sentence imposed on count one. The total unstayed prison term imposed by the judgment is seven years.

Facts

Appellant was convicted of robberies occurring seriatim during January 1980 at Julian’s Cleaners (count I), Fast Gas (count II), Russell’s Donut Roundup (count III), and Delrose Cleaners (count IV). A gun was brandished at the two cleaners and the donut shop. The attendant at Julian’s was threatened with physical violence. During the last three robberies, the robber wore a turtleneck sweater, a leather jacket and a cap. All victims described the robber as a black man with height estimations varying from five feet five inches to five feet eight inches. Two victims said the robber had a beard, one could not see because the turtleneck was pulled over his lower face, and one couldn’t remember. One thought the gun was not real. Two identified a picture of appellant’s car as the getaway car. A search of appellant’s house produced a toy gun and clothing identified at trial as similar to the robber’s. Appellant is a black man with a beard.

Also found at appellant’s home was a drug paraphernalia “kit.” Appellant had healing “track marks” on his arms. Testimony was introduced concerning the cost of street drugs.

The defense evidence consisted primarily of attacking the eyewitness identification evidence.

*360 I.

Appellant’s first contention on appeal is that it was error to admit evidence of his drug use because it did not have substantial probative value and the prejudicial effect of this evidence substantially outweighed any possible probative value.

Appellant’s counsel made the following objection outside the presence of the jury: “Yes, Your Honor. They’re going to deal in the question of narcotics or drugs, I do not feel that any discussion of that is relevant as to this case. We’ve already mentioned that Mr. Reid’s conviction involving narcotics cannot be used, I would submit to the Court that his being on parole for that charge would also be excluded from consideration by the jury. It’s not relevant. I think it’s excessively prejudicial to Mr. Reid’s case.” (Italics added.)

The ensuing discussion between the court and both counsel centered on the issue of whether evidence of appellant’s drug use was relevant. The court found that the evidence was relevant to the issue of motive. There was no discussion concerning the prejudicial impact of this evidence. Respondent contends that appellant properly preserved the relevancy objection for appeal but did not properly preserve the question whether the prejudicial effect of the evidence of appellant’s use of narcotics substantially outweighed its probative value. Respondent contends appellant argued only that his being on parole for the narcotics charge should be excluded because it was excessively prejudicial. Appellant on the other hand, contends the words “I think it’s excessively prejudicial to Mr. Reid’s case” referred to “any discussion” of “narcotics or drugs.”

Questions relating to the admissibility of evidence will not be reviewed on appeal in the absence of a specific objection on the grounds sought to be urged on appeal. (People v. Rogers (1978) 21 Cal.3d 542, 547-548 [146 Cal.Rptr. 732, 579 P.2d 1048].) “An objection is sufficient if it fairly apprises the trial court of the issue it is being called upon to decide.” (People v. Scott (1978) 21 Cal.3d 284, 290 [145 Cal. Rptr. 876, 578 P.2d 123].) In the instant case, a reading of the record indicates the trial court interpreted appellant’s objection to the introduction of the drug use evidence as being an objection based on “relevancy.” “In a criminal case, the objection will be deemed preseved if, despite inadequate phrasing, the record shows that the court understood the issue presented.” {Ibid.) Since Evidence Code section 352 deals with *361 the exercise of the judge’s discretion to exclude evidence concededly relevant, a relevancy objection to proffered evidence is normally not construed as a request that he exercise his discretion to exclude relevant evidence. “If, for example, an irrelevancy objection is made to proffered evidence, the trial judge may overrule the objection without considering Evidence Code section 352, assuming, of course, that the evidence is relevant.” (Jefferson, Cal. Evidence Benchbook (Cont.Ed.Bar 1972) Principles of Relevancy, § 22.1, p. 290.)

Hence, we conclude that since it is reasonable to read appellant’s prejudice objection as referring to evidence of his status as a parolee only, and since the trial court understood the other crimes evidence objection to refer only to its relevancy, appellant has waived his right to claim error based on the fact that the prejudicial effect of the evidence of his use of narcotics substantially outweighed its probative value. To permit an appellant to claim error on appeal where the objection was not specific and timely below, “would deprive the People of the opportunity to cure the defect at trial and would ‘permit the defendant to gamble on an acquittal at his trial secure in the knowledge that a conviction would be reversed on appeal’ [citations].” (People v. Rogers, supra, 21 Cal.3d 542, 548.)

Accordingly, it becomes necessary to determine whether the trial court erred when it found the evidence of appellant’s prior drug use was relevant to his motive for committing the crime.

Evidence Code section 1101, subdivision (a), provides that evidence of a person’s character or trait is inadmissible when offered to prove his conduct on a specific occasion. However, subdivision (b) provides: “Nothing in this section prohibits the admission of evidence that a person committed a crime, civil wrong, or other act when relevant to prove some fact (such as motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake or accident) other than his disposition to commit such acts.” (Italics added.)

It has been stated that the admissibility of other crimes evidence must be scrutinized with great care because of its highly inflammatory and prejudicial effect on the trier of fact. (People v. Thompson

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
133 Cal. App. 3d 354, 184 Cal. Rptr. 186, 1982 Cal. App. LEXIS 1723, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-reid-calctapp-1982.