People v. Sapienza

251 Cal. Rptr. 3d 594, 39 Cal. App. 5th 58
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal, 5th District
DecidedAugust 23, 2019
DocketE070547
StatusPublished

This text of 251 Cal. Rptr. 3d 594 (People v. Sapienza) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal, 5th District primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Sapienza, 251 Cal. Rptr. 3d 594, 39 Cal. App. 5th 58 (Cal. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

McKINSTER, Acting P. J.

*61On August 31, 2015, pursuant to a plea agreement, defendant and appellant, Jeffrey Edward Sapienza, born in October 1964, pled guilty to criminal threats. ( Pen. Code, § 422 ; count 2.)1 The court imposed the upper term of three years of imprisonment, but suspended execution of sentence and placed defendant on three years of formal probation. On January 5, 2018, the court found defendant in violation of his *596probation. On March 23, 2018, the court imposed the three-year suspended sentence and awarded defendant 903 days of custody credits.

On appeal, defendant contends the matter should be conditionally reversed and remanded to the trial court to determine, retroactively, whether defendant qualifies for a pretrial diversion program for individuals diagnosed with qualifying mental disorders pursuant to recently enacted section 1001.36. The People respond that defendant's appeal must be dismissed because the issue raised is outside the scope of his notice of appeal; that section 1001.36 is not retroactive; that even if retroactive, defendant's judgment was already final and, thus, inapplicable; that retroactive application of a pretrial diversion program would effectively vacate defendant's conviction violating the separation of powers doctrine; and that the court had already rejected defendant's mental health defense.2 We affirm.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

In January 2015, the victim, born in 1948, drove into his mobilehome park where defendant waved him down. The victim rolled down his window and asked if he could help defendant. Defendant said the victim was not a man of his word; defendant said something about the victim owing defendant $20. The victim assumed defendant was talking about $20 which defendant's mother had lent the victim.

The victim exited his car. Defendant yelled: " 'Give me your money or I'm gonna get it from you.' " Defendant quickly approached the victim and touched his nose to the victim's nose and his chest to the victim's chest. Defendant told the victim to give him the money or he was going to hurt and kill the victim. The victim was afraid of defendant.

The victim told defendant he had already paid the money back to defendant's mother. Defendant pointed out a car nearby and said: " 'You see the *62[B]lack guy there inside the car? All I have to do is call him, and he'll do it for me.' " The victim "really got very scared." He interpreted defendant's words as a threat to have the man kill him.

The victim told defendant he was going to call the mobilehome manager and the police. Defendant told him: " 'Go ahead.' " The victim got into his car and drove off, but did not return home because he was afraid of alerting the man with whom defendant had threatened him as to the location of his residence. The victim parked and went to the manager's office and told her what had occurred. The manager called the police.

The victim testified that two nights prior to the incident, he found defendant parked in front of his home at 2:00 a.m. The victim was worried because he had been burglarized on several occasions. In May 2016, the victim called the police because defendant contacted him; the victim had a restraining order against defendant.3

The People charged defendant by second amended felony complaint with attempted robbery (§§ 664, 211; count 1), two counts of criminal threats ( § 422 ; counts 2 & 4), misdemeanor elder abuse (§ 368, subd. (c); count 3), and failure to appear (§ 1320.5; count 5). The People additionally alleged defendant had committed the charged offenses while defendant *597had been released from custody. (§ 12022.1.)

The People and defendant apparently came to a resolution which involved the instant case, four misdemeanor cases, and an admission to a violation of probation. In the instant case, defendant pled guilty to criminal threats ( § 422 ; count 2) with the understanding defendant would be sentenced to jail for 365 days with credit for 121 days.

The People agreed that defendant "could be accepted into an appropriate dual diagnosis residential treatment program ...." Defendant would be required to provide proof that the program had accepted him; if admitted to a rehabilitation program, the court would modify the sentence, release defendant to the program, and allow him to spend the balance of his jail time in the program. The court imposed the upper term of three years, execution of which the court suspended on the condition that defendant successfully complete the terms and conditions of three years of formal, felony probation.

At a hearing on September 24, 2015, the parties confirmed that defendant had been admitted to the Tibis House Rehabilitation Program through the *63Recovery Network Resource. Upon defendant's agreement, the court ordered defendant released from jail the next day to complete the balance of his custody time in the residential treatment program. The court noted: "I'm going to give you the opportunity to get clean and sober."

On April 5, 2016, the People filed a misdemeanor complaint and petition for revocation of defendant's probation alleging he had resisted arrest. (§ 148, subd. (a)(1).) At a hearing on May 24, 2016, the court observed: "I ... have this document he's in inpatient care at Pacific Grove Hospital." Defendant's attorney stated defendant was "on a psychiatric hold."4 The court noted that the letter indicated defendant would not be released from the hospital until June 3, 2016; defense counsel confirmed this. The court issued a bench warrant, but held it until the second week of June, ordering defendant to appear on June 9, 2016.

On June 9, 2016, the People informed the court that they had obtained a letter reflecting defendant was admitted to College Hospital Cerritos on June 8, 2016, with an undetermined release date. Defense counsel stated the reason for the hospitalization "seems to be possibly schizophrenia, for all I know."5 The court continued the matter and held the warrant until June 21, 2016.

On July 13, 2017,6 August 8, 2017, October 23, 2017, November 1, 2017, and December 18, 2017, the court continued the matter. On January 5, 2018, the court held a hearing on the petition to revoke defendant's probation.

A Murrieta police officer testified that on March 31, 2016, he responded to a call regarding "a male acting strangely and being aggressive and loud at the bank." When he arrived, he encountered defendant, who was pacing back and forth in front of the bank yelling. Defendant did *598not appear to have mental issues, but appeared to be agitated.

The officer obtained defendant's name and date of birth; he conducted a records check of defendant. The officer discovered defendant was on formal, felony probation with search terms and that his driver's license had expired on October 22, 2012. The officer found a vehicle associated with defendant and conducted a record check on it.

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Bluebook (online)
251 Cal. Rptr. 3d 594, 39 Cal. App. 5th 58, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-sapienza-calctapp5d-2019.