People v. Sutton

165 Cal. App. 4th 646, 81 Cal. Rptr. 3d 195
California Court of Appeal·Decided July 30, 2008·No. B195337·Published

Opinion

165 Cal.App.4th 646 (2008)

THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent,
v.
MICHAEL JEROME SUTTON et al., Defendants and Appellants.

No. B195337.

Court of Appeals of California, Second District, Division Three.

July 30, 2008.
CERTIFIED FOR PARTIAL PUBLICATION[*]

*648 William L. Heyman, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant Michael Jerome Sutton.

Jennifer L. Peabody, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant Willie J. Jackson.

Michael P. Judge, Public Defender, and John Hamilton Scott, Deputy Public Defender, for Public Defender of Los Angeles County as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Defendants and Appellants.

Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Attorney General, Dane R. Gillette, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Pamela C. Hamanaka, Assistant Attorney General, Steven D. Matthews and David E. Madeo, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

OPINION

ALDRICH, J.—

INTRODUCTION

The joint trial of defendants and appellants Michael Jerome Sutton and Willie J. Jackson began six days after the 60-day statutory deadline in Penal *649 Code section 1382.[1] The trial court continued the trial as to both defendants because Jackson's counsel was engaged in trial on another matter. On appeal, defendants contend that good cause did not exist to continue the trial beyond the statutory deadline. In the published portion of this opinion, we hold that an appointed counsel's present engagement in another matter is good cause to continue the joint trial of jointly charged defendants. In the nonpublished portion of this opinion, we reject defendants' contention that the trial court erred in excluding evidence, although we agree with Sutton's other contention that there are errors in his sentence. We therefore reverse and remand this matter as to Sutton with respect to the sentencing errors only. We otherwise affirm the judgment as to both defendants.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

I. Factual background.

On May 31, 2006, Officer Anthony Jackson, a member of the narcotics division buy team, was working undercover at 7th and Ceres in Los Angeles. Defendant Jackson was counting money on Ceres. The officer looked at defendant Jackson, who approached the officer and asked what he wanted. The officer said he wanted "a 20," meaning $20 worth of narcotics. Defendant Jackson said he had to get it; he crossed the street to a waist-high camping tent, where Sutton was waiting.

Sutton and defendant Jackson talked, although the officer could not overhear their conversation. Sutton opened a white bottle out of which he poured an off-white solid substance into his hand and gave it to defendant Jackson. Defendant Jackson walked back to the officer and asked him for the money. The officer gave defendant Jackson a prerecorded $20 bill, and defendant Jackson gave the officer an off-white solid substance resembling rock cocaine. As the officer walked away, he signaled to his partners that the buy was complete.

Jackson was arrested. Officers recovered $14 from his pants pockets. Sutton was arrested. Officers recovered an off-white substance resembling rock cocaine, a white canister also containing an off-white substance resembling cocaine, and $44 from him. Detective Vip Kanchanamongkol, who was in charge of the operation, compared a $20 bill recovered from Sutton to the prerecorded bill Officer Jackson used to buy the drugs from defendant Jackson. The bills matched. Testing confirmed that the substance Officer Jackson bought was 0.33 grams of cocaine base and that the substance recovered from Sutton was 0.99 grams of cocaine base.

*650 II. Procedural background.

Trial was by jury. On October 5, 2006, the jury found Sutton and Jackson guilty of count 1, sale of a controlled substance, cocaine base (Health & Saf. Code, § 11352, subd. (a)). The jury also found Sutton guilty of count 2, possession for sale of a controlled substance, cocaine base (Health & Saf. Code, § 11351.5).

On October 24, 2006, the trial court sentenced Jackson to the midterm of four years on count 1.

On November 21, 2006, the trial court sentenced Sutton to the upper term of five years on count 1. The court imposed an additional three years under Health and Safety Code section 11370, subdivision (a), based on a prior felony conviction for violating Health and Safety Code section 11351.5 and an additional year under Penal Code section 667.5, subdivision (b). The court sentenced him to a concurrent four-year term on count 2. The court dismissed one prior conviction from 1990.

This appeal followed.[2]

DISCUSSION

I. The six-day delay did not violate defendants' statutory right to a speedy trial.[3]

Because their trial was delayed beyond the statutory deadline in section 1382, Sutton and Jackson contend that their right to a speedy trial was violated.[4] We disagree.

A. Additional facts.

The People filed a felony complaint on June 2, 2006, charging Jackson and Sutton with sale of a controlled substance (Health & Saf. Code, § 11352, *651 subd. (a)) and charging Sutton with sale of cocaine base (Health & Saf. Code, § 11351.5). On June 16, noting that it was "10 of 10" and that defendants had been inadvertently sent to the wrong courthouse, the trial court dismissed the matter. Sutton was released from custody, but was placed in custody again three days later.

By a felony complaint, the People refiled the matter on June 19, 2006. An information was filed on July 21, 2006, charging Sutton and Jackson again with violating Health and Safety Code section 11352, subdivision (a), and Sutton with violating Health and Safety Code section 11351.5. Sutton and Jackson were arraigned that same day, July 21, and trial was scheduled for September 11, 2006, as day 52 of 60. The trial date, however, was vacated and set for September 12, as day 53 of 60. On September 12, all parties announced ready for trial, although Jackson's appointed counsel said he might be engaged in trial on another case.[5] The case was transferred to department 100 for trial assignment on September 15, as day 56 of 60.

On September 15, 2006, Jackson's counsel said he was engaged in trial, but he would be available on the 19th. The trial court asked Jackson if it was "agreeable with you that you come back here on September 19th and have your trial within two days of that date?" Jackson said, "As long as no time is being waived," and "I don't want to waive time," to which the court replied, "That's fine." The court trailed the matter to September 18, as day 59 of 60.

On September 18, 2006, all parties announced ready, except for Jackson's counsel, who was still engaged in trial. On Jackson's continuing motion to trail, the court trailed the trial to September 19. The court noted that there was no time waiver from either defendant.

On September 19, 2006, day 60 of 60, Jackson's counsel said he was still engaged in trial. The court again noted that defendants were not waiving time, and Sutton expressly asked when the 60 days started to run. Noting that Jackson's counsel was still engaged in trial on another matter, the court found good cause to continue the matter as to both defendants.

The next day, September 20, 2006, day 61 of 60, Jackson's counsel was still in trial but he nevertheless made "a pro forma" motion to dismiss. Th

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