People v. Reynolds

55 Cal. App. 3d 357, 127 Cal. Rptr. 561, 1976 Cal. App. LEXIS 1247
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 18, 1976
DocketCrim. 26960
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 55 Cal. App. 3d 357 (People v. Reynolds) 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. Reynolds, 55 Cal. App. 3d 357, 127 Cal. Rptr. 561, 1976 Cal. App. LEXIS 1247 (Cal. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinion

Opinion

JEFFERSON (Bernard), J.

Defendant Robert Reynolds was charged by an amended information with the following offenses: in count I, with the kidnaping of Tracy Greenfield, in violation of Penal Code section 207; in count II, with the rape of Tracy Greenfield, in violation of Penal Code section 261, subdivision 3, and in connection with this offense it was alleged that defendant inflicted great bodily injury on the victim; in count III, with the commission of a lewd and lascivious act upon the person of Tracy Greenfield, a child under the age of 14 years, in violation of Penal Code section 288; in count IV, it was alleged that defendant had forcibly orally copulated Tracy Greenfield, at a time when defendant was more than 10 years older than the victim, a 12-year-old girl.

Count V charged that defendant furnished to Tracy Greenfield a controlled substance in violation of Health and Safety Code section 11380. Count VI charged that defendant administered pentobarbital to Tracy Greenfield with the intent to cause her death, although death did not occur, in violation of Penal Code section 216; in count VII the offense charged was the commission of a lewd and lascivious act upon Diane Konoske, a child under the age of 14 years, in violation of Penal Code section 288. Counts VIII, IX, X and XI charged defendant with *361 furnishing a restricted dangerous drug, a barbituric acid derivative, to Diane, Donna, Cynthia and Paula Konoske, respectively, in violation of Health and Safety Code section 11913. (See, now, § 11380.)

Five prior convictions were alleged.

Defendant entered a plea of not guilty and denied the priors. His motion to dismiss (Pen. Code, § 995) was granted in part and denied in part; his motion to suppress (Pen. Code, § 1538.5) was heard, argued and denied. Thereafter defendant waived jury trial, withdrew his plea of not guilty to counts VII and XI, and entered a plea of guilty to those counts. Defendant was sentenced to state prison for the term prescribed by law, the sentences to run concurrently, and was given credit for 520 days already served.

Defendant appeals from the judgment of conviction.

The sole issue before us on this appeal is the validity of the trial court’s ruling denying defendant’s motion to suppress evidence. Penal Code section 1538.5, subdivision (m) provides that “[a] defendant may seek further review of the validity of a search or seizure on appeal from a conviction in a criminal case notwithstanding the fact that such judgment of conviction is predicated upon a plea of guilty. Such review on appeal may be obtained by the defendant providing that at some stage of the proceedings prior to conviction he has moved for the return of property or the suppression of the evidence.”

The standard of review applicable herein has been described by the California Supreme Court as follows: “A proceeding under section 1538.5 to suppress evidence is a full hearing on the issues before the superior court sitting as finder of fact. [Citations.] The power to judge credibility of witnesses, resolve conflicts in testimony, weigh evidence and draw factual inferences, is vested in the trial court. On appeal all presumptions favor proper exercise of that power, and the trial court’s findings—whether express or implied—must be upheld if supported by substantial evidence. [Citations.]” (People v. Superior Court (Keithley) (1975) 13 Cal.3d 406, 410 [118 Cal.Rptr. 617, 530 P.2d 585].)

In People v. Lawler (1973) 9 Cal.3d 156, 160 [107 Cal.Rptr. 13, 507 P.2d 621], the court enlarged the “substantial evidence” standard of review when it stated: “The trial court also has the duty to decide whether, on the facts found, the search was unreasonable within the *362 meaning of the Constitution. Although that issue is a question of law, the trial court’s conclusion on the point should not lightly be challenged by appeal or by petition for extraordinary writ. [Fn. omitted.] Of course, if such review is nevertheless sought, it becomes the ultimate responsibility of the appellate court to measure the facts, as found by the trier, against the constitutional standard of reasonableness.”

In the case at bench, defendant challenged at the suppression hearing five searches and seizures by the police at his residence, purportedly conducted with the consent of defendant’s wife. Since California retains the “vicarious exclusionary rule,” (People v. Martin (1955) 45 Cal.2d 755 [290 P.2d 855]; Kaplan v. Superior Court (1971) 6 Cal.3d 150 [98 Cal.Rptr. 649, 491 P.2d 1]) with respect to Fourth Amendment rights, such a challenge could properly be undertaken.

Evidence adduced at the hearing below revealed that on August 23, 1973, 12-year-old Tracy Greenfield was kidnaped by a person described to the police as a male Caucasian of indeterminate age, slightly built, five feet ten inches tall, with black and grey hair, and that he wore “Benjamin Franklin” type eyeglasses with half lens frames. Tracy told the police that her abductor had a mustache and had been driving a blue Buick station wagon with black wall tires; that in the car there was blue and white shag carpeting on the rear floorboard, and that there was a blue blanket or towel on the front seat. Tracy further stated to the police that there were holes in the rear of the vehicle where speakers had once been attached; that the suspect carried a brown briefcase with a combination lock, and used red and black marking pens to write on a paper tablet during the criminal activity; that he also drank from a bottle which was in a brown paper sack. According to Tracy, the suspect forced her to take some yellow capsules with á can of cola, and she became groggy; he gave her pornography to read, and at one point stopped the car to make a telephone call and she heard him say: “I have got the girl”; later, she was- transferred to another vehicle. She also told the authorities that the suspect displayed a pocket knife and that she was released by the kidnaper after she had been sexually molested and while she was still feeling the effects of the narcotic substance which had been given her.

There was considerable publicity concerning the Greenfield crime, and the media reports included a description of the suspect and of the vehicle used at the inception of the crime.

*363 On August 26, 1973, a teenager named Cynthia Konoske informed the police that the description of the kidnaper and his vehicle closely matched that of her stepfather, the defendant, and his 1963 blue Buick station wagon. Cynthia included in her description some details not publicized, which matched those provided by Tracy Greenfield and her younger brother Jerry, who had been present at the abduction scene. Cynthia appeared to the police to be frightened. She told them defendant had administered drugs to her and had sexually molested her sisters.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
55 Cal. App. 3d 357, 127 Cal. Rptr. 561, 1976 Cal. App. LEXIS 1247, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-reynolds-calctapp-1976.