People v. Robbins

225 Cal. App. 2d 177, 37 Cal. Rptr. 244, 1964 Cal. App. LEXIS 1359
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 27, 1964
DocketCrim. 8744
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 225 Cal. App. 2d 177 (People v. Robbins) 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. Robbins, 225 Cal. App. 2d 177, 37 Cal. Rptr. 244, 1964 Cal. App. LEXIS 1359 (Cal. Ct. App. 1964).

Opinion

JEFFERSON, J.

A jury found defendant guilty of possession of heroin for sale, in violation of section 11500.5 of the Health and Safety Code. Defendant admitted a prior narcotic law conviction for violation of section 11500 of the *180 Health and Safety Code. Defendant’s motions for a new trial, to reduce the offense to a violation of section 11500 of Health and Safety Code (possession of narcotics) and for probation, were denied and defendant was sentenced to state prison for the term prescribed by law. Defendant appeals from the judgment of conviction.

John C. Hanks of the narcotics division of the Los Angeles Police Department testified that, on May 22, 1962, at approximately 3 p.m., he was staked out near the residence of defendant. While looking through binoculars, he observed defendant and Vernia Roland drive up to defendant’s residence and go into the house. Approximately 10 minutes later defendant came out of the front door and down a flight of stairs at the bottom of which he stooped down out of the officer’s vision; defendant reappeared in approximately one minute, and entered a small attached room where he remained for a minute or two; defendant then came back into the officer’s view and reentered the house.

On May 29, 1962, at approximately 2:30 p.m., Officer Hanks again had defendant's house under surveillance. On this occasion he observed defendant walk down the front stairs of the residence and into the front yard. There, he was seen to bend down out of sight, then straighten up and go to another location, where he repeated the same movements. Defendant then started up the stairs, but before reaching the front door, he stopped, descended the stairway again and walked into the small room on the ground level. In a short time he reappeared, and again walked over to the bottom of the stairs, where he again stooped down out of the officer’s range of vision. When he again reappeared and walked up the stairs to the house, he was carrying what the officer described as a small white object. Approximately 10 minutes after defendant entered his house with the white object, a man entered defendant’s home, remained a few moments, and then left.

On June 4, 1962, Officer Hanks and three other officers served defendant with a search warrant and entered his residence. They searched defendant’s person and the house but did not discover any narcotics. Officer Hanks made a search of defendant’s yard, and, in particular, the area where he had previously observed defendant stooping and moving around. Underneath a geranium bush in the yard of a neighbor, he found a brown cloth satchel containing 11 rubber condoms, each of which contained a white powdery substance (614. ozs. in weight), which, according to later chemical *181 analysis, was heroin. The satchel was located approximately 6 inches from a picket fence which separated defendant’s yard from that of the neighbor and in the same general area where Officer Hanks had observed defendant bending over. The officer reached through the picket fence from defendant’s yard and recovered the satchel and its contents.

Officer Hanks showed his find to defendant, stating “Everything is real rosy when you’re out there peddling this stuff and making money, but one day the heat drops down on you and everything isn't so rosy.” Defendant replied, “Well, man, if you’re going to play, you’ve got to pay.” The officer then asked defendant, “How much stuff is in that bag?” Defendant replied, “Look, you’re a man and I’m a man—I’m not going to say anything—you understand what I’m talking about. ’ ’

Mrs. Thomas, defendant’s neighbor in whose yard the narcotics were found, testified that on June 4, 1962, she observed defendant “patting” at the foot of the steps near the geranium bushes.

Defendant did not testify in his own behalf, but called as a witness Vernia Roland, who testified that she owned the house in which defendant was arrested; that defendant resided at that address; she kept a little throw rug on the front step of the house which often became “mussed up” when people walked up and down the stairs; she and defendant were constantly stooping down at the foot of the stairs to rearrange the rug; she had a little Chihuahua puppy; both she and defendant oftentimes played with the puppy and threw it a white toy bone. It was stipulated that the witness, Vernia Roland, had suffered a prior felony conviction.

Defendant contends that the trial court committed prejudicial error when it admitted into evidence a posed photograph (Exhibit 9), taken at the location where the narcotics were found. Defendant asserts that the photograph portrays Officer Hanks standing on the stairway of defendant’s dwelling holding one of the condoms filled with heroin which the officer had found. Defendant argues that, since Officer Hanks testified he could not identify the small white object he saw in defendant’s hand, a posed photograph depicting the officer, standing in the location where he saw defendant, holding part of the seized narcotics, was not an accurate representation of what the officer testified he saw, and further, was highly prejudicial to defendant’s case. In addition it is argued that the photograph was not taken at *182 the same time of day nor from the same distance, location or angle.

We do not agree with defendant’s assertion that the photograph (Exhibit 9) depicts Officer Hanks holding one of the condoms. From the photograph we can determine nothing more than that the officer is holding a small white object. Further, Officer Hanks testified, with respect to the photograph, that it was a fair and accurate representation of the conditions existing as observed by him on May 29,1962. As stated in People v. Sambrano, 33 Cal.App.2d 200, at p. 213 [91 P.2d 221]: 11 Courts are authorized to receive in evidence photographs in the same class as diagrams, when they accurately depict the locality of the crime, together with weapons, objects and physical conditions which are unchanged in status or in relation to the surrounding conditions as shown at the trial by accompanying testimony. [Citations.] ” See also People v. Jackson, 74 Cal.App.2d 22, 25 [167 P.2d 776]. And, “ ‘It is for the trial court to determine, from the evidence before it, whether a photograph offered is a correct representation of the object or scene in question, and the ruling will be sustained on appeal unless it is apparent that there has been an abuse of discretion.’ [Citation.]” (People v. Crooms, 66 Cal.App.2d 491, 496 [152 P.2d 533].) No abuse of discretion is apparent in the instant case.

Defendant contends the deputy district attorney committed prejudicial misconduct in asking defense counsel on three occasions, in effect, whether he was waiving objection to the prosecution’s inquiry into the character of defendant as a narcotics peddler or user.

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

Related

People v. Nava CA2/6
California Court of Appeal, 2015
State v. Metcalf
260 N.W.2d 857 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1977)
State v. Diaz
514 P.2d 1028 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1973)
State v. Villavicencio
502 P.2d 1337 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1972)
People v. Blake
21 Cal. App. 3d 211 (California Court of Appeal, 1971)
People v. Shipstead
19 Cal. App. 3d 58 (California Court of Appeal, 1971)
People v. Aldapa
17 Cal. App. 3d 184 (California Court of Appeal, 1971)
State v. Arce
483 P.2d 1395 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1971)
People v. Gordon
10 Cal. App. 3d 454 (California Court of Appeal, 1970)
State v. Meredith
469 P.2d 820 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1970)
People v. Velasquez
3 Cal. App. 3d 776 (California Court of Appeal, 1970)
People v. Clay
273 Cal. App. 2d 279 (California Court of Appeal, 1969)
People v. De La Torre
268 Cal. App. 2d 122 (California Court of Appeal, 1968)
People v. Chavez
262 Cal. App. 2d 422 (California Court of Appeal, 1968)
People v. Fitzwater
260 Cal. App. 2d 478 (California Court of Appeal, 1968)
People v. Allen
254 Cal. App. 2d 597 (California Court of Appeal, 1967)
People v. Gaines
247 Cal. App. 2d 141 (California Court of Appeal, 1966)
People v. Vaiza
244 Cal. App. 2d 121 (California Court of Appeal, 1966)
People v. Bravo
237 Cal. App. 2d 459 (California Court of Appeal, 1965)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
225 Cal. App. 2d 177, 37 Cal. Rptr. 244, 1964 Cal. App. LEXIS 1359, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-robbins-calctapp-1964.