People v. Rounsavall CA4/2

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 5, 2025
DocketE084239
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Rounsavall CA4/2 (People v. Rounsavall CA4/2) 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. Rounsavall CA4/2, (Cal. Ct. App. 2025).

Opinion

Filed 6/5/25 P. v. Rounsavall CA4/2

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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

FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION TWO

THE PEOPLE,

Plaintiff and Respondent, E084239

v. (Super.Ct.No. FWV012635)

KEVIN JEFFREY ROUNSAVALL, OPINION

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from the Superior Court of San Bernardino County. Ingrid Adamson

Uhler, Judge. (Retired Judge of the San Bernardino Super. Ct. assigned by the Chief

Justice pursuant to art. VI, § 6 of the Cal. Const.) Affirmed.

James M. Kehoe, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and

Appellant.

Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney

General, Charles C. Ragland, Assistant Attorney General, Collette C. Cavalier and Joy

Utomi, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

1 I.

INTRODUCTION

Defendant and appellant Kevin Jeffrey Rounsavall appeals from the trial court’s

resentencing order under Penal Code1 section 1172.75. On appeal, defendant contends

the trial court abused its discretion by failing to conduct a full resentencing hearing in

compliance with section 1172.75, and therefore the matter must be remanded for the

court to consider whether it should have dismissed the firearm and prior serious felony

enhancements. Specifically, he contends the court failed to recognize that it had

discretion to dismiss the prior serious felony and firearm enhancements unless it found

doing so would endanger public safety. We conclude defendant forfeited these

arguments and they also lack merit. Accordingly, we affirm.

II.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND2

Over a three-and-a-half-week period in February and March 1997, defendant

committed a string of violent armed robberies, carjackings, and residential and

commercial burglaries. In nearly all the incidents, defendant pointed a gun at the victims,

threatened to kill them, and stole their money, jewelry, firearm, or other belongings. In

one incident, defendant pistol whipped a victim who tried to escape.

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

2 A summary of the factual background is taken from the probation officer’s report.

2 On October 30, 1997, defendant pleaded guilty to 60 counts, as follows: three

counts of carjacking (§ 215, subd. (a)), 15 counts of robbery (§ 211), eight counts of

burglary (§ 459), four counts of assault with a firearm (§ 245, subd. (a)(2)), one count of

grand theft (§ 487), eight counts of possession of a firearm by a felon (§ 12021,

subd. (a)(1)), 14 counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm (§ 245, subd. (b)), four

counts of attempted robbery (§§ 664/211), and three counts of assault with a deadly

weapon (§ 245, subd. (a)(1)). As to 44 out of the 60 counts, defendant admitted that he

personally used a handgun within the meaning of section 12022.5, subdivision (a).

Defendant also admitted that he had suffered a prior strike conviction (§§ 667, subds. (b)-

(i), 1170.12, subds. (a)-(d)), two prior serious felony convictions (§ 667, subd. (a)), and

two prior prison terms (§ 667.5, subd. (b)).

On January 7, 1998, the trial court sentenced defendant to a determinate term of

122 years in prison and an indeterminate term of 11 life terms with a minimum of

294 years in prison. The sentence included two one-year terms for the prison prior

enhancements pursuant to section 667.5, subdivision (b), two five-year terms for the prior

serious felony enhancements pursuant to section 667, subdivision (a)(1), and eleven 10-

year terms for the firearm enhancements pursuant to section 12022.5, subdivision (a).

On June 27, 2024, the trial court held a resentencing hearing under

section 1172.75.3 Defendant was present via Zoom with his appointed-counsel present.

Defendant shared with the court that he had not had any write-ups in prison since 2006

3 It appears that neither party filed a resentencing motion as no motions are contained in the appellate record.

3 and that he had been training service dogs for the past four years. Defendant also

informed the court that he had obtained his high school diploma and had achieved

15 years of sobriety while in prison. The court expressed that it was “very impressed”

with how defendant was “giv[ing] back to society” while in prison. The court explained

that, under section 1172.25, it would strike the two one-year prison priors pursuant to

section 667.5, subdivision (b). However, the court stated that it was “not going to use

[its] discretion to reduce or strike any of the enhancements because of the seriousness of

the offenses at the time that they were committed, but . . . [it was] very impressed about

how much [defendant had] changed [his] life since then.”

Neither defendant nor his counsel objected, rather defense counsel explained to

defendant as follows: “. . . even if the Court did exercise her discretion, because there

were so many counts, you’re actually coming up for parole faster than what she could

reduce the charges to. So, let’s say she exercises the discretion to strike the strikes. The

amount of time, because there’s so many counts, would still amount to more time than

what you would come up for parole in 2028. [¶] So you’re coming up for parole no

matter what in four years; okay? So that’s your best chance to actually get released. And

with all the work you’ve done and your sobriety, not getting write-ups, you probably

have a really good chance. I don’t know if you want to go because you have your dogs,

but you have a good chance.”

The trial court then struck the two one-year prison prior enhancements pursuant to

section 667.5, subdivision (b), and resentenced defendant to a total determinate term of

4 120 years, from 122 years. An amended abstract of judgment was filed on July 11, 2024.

Defendant timely appealed.

III.

DISCUSSION

Defendant argues the trial court abused its discretion by failing to conduct the

resentencing hearing in compliance with section 1172.75, and therefore the sentence must

be vacated and the matter remanded for a full resentencing hearing pursuant to

section 1172.75 because the court had discretion to strike his 11 firearm enhancements

and the two prior serious felony enhancements. The People assert that defendant

forfeited his claim on appeal. In the alternative, the People contend the trial court

properly exercised its discretion to not strike or reduce the enhancements.

A. Overview of Relevant Law

When defendant was convicted and sentenced, defendants were subject to a one-

year prison term enhancement under section 667.5, subdivision (b), for each true finding

that they had served a prior prison term and had thereafter remained free from custody for

at least five years. Effective January 1, 2020, section 667.5, subdivision (b), was

amended to limit prior prison term enhancements to prior terms imposed for certain

sexually violent offenses. (Stats. 2019, ch. 590, § 1; People v. Escobedo (2023) 95

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

Related

Strickland v. Washington
466 U.S. 668 (Supreme Court, 1984)
In Re Large
160 P.3d 662 (California Supreme Court, 2007)
People v. Sandoval
161 P.3d 1146 (California Supreme Court, 2007)
People v. Giordano
170 P.3d 623 (California Supreme Court, 2007)
People v. Gonzalez
74 P.3d 771 (California Supreme Court, 2003)
People v. Boyce
330 P.3d 812 (California Supreme Court, 2014)
People v. Scott
885 P.2d 1040 (California Supreme Court, 1994)
People v. Carmony
92 P.3d 369 (California Supreme Court, 2004)
People v. Burton
243 Cal. App. 4th 129 (California Court of Appeal, 2015)
People v. Morelos
514 P.3d 811 (California Supreme Court, 2022)
People v. Salazar
538 P.3d 688 (California Supreme Court, 2023)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
People v. Rounsavall CA4/2, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-rounsavall-ca42-calctapp-2025.