People v. Thomas

180 Cal. App. 3d 47, 225 Cal. Rptr. 277, 1986 Cal. App. LEXIS 1484
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 25, 1986
DocketF004477
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 180 Cal. App. 3d 47 (People v. Thomas) 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. Thomas, 180 Cal. App. 3d 47, 225 Cal. Rptr. 277, 1986 Cal. App. LEXIS 1484 (Cal. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinion

Opinion

HAMLIN, J.

Defendant Rodney Eugene Thomas appeals from a judgment upon jury convictions of three counts of oral copulation (Pen. Code, § 288a, subd. (c)); 1 two counts of rape (§ 261, subd. (2)); two counts of sodomy (§ 286, subd. (c)); and one count of false imprisonment (§ 236). The trial court sentenced defendant to prison for seven consecutive eight-year upper terms for the sex crimes plus one consecutive three-year upper term for the false imprisonment.

Defendant raises many issues on appeal which we will discuss seriatim after summarizing the facts.

At about 9 p.m. on December 19, 1983, Priscilla P. put her one-year-old son to bed and lay down on the couch in her home in Wasco, California, to watch television. She fell asleep there. Later that night she was awakened by defendant’s hands strangling her. She screamed and tried to break away. Her son woke up crying. Priscilla stopped screaming after defendant threatened to kill her and her son.

Defendant then held Priscilla’s neck in the crotch of his arm. He pushed her onto her back, sat on her chest, and told her he had come to rob the house but had “found something better.” Defendant ordered Priscilla to “suck on him.” Out of fear, she complied. Defendant then commanded her *50 to engage in “69” (he orally copulates her vagina while she orally copulates his penis).

After this stopped, defendant told Priscilla to get on her knees and lean against a chair. He then attempted to insert his penis into her anus. She said it hurt; the pain lasted several days. Defendant then engaged in normal sexual intercourse with Priscilla.

Defendant permitted Priscilla to go to the bathroom. Thereafter, he took her to her bedroom, and engaged in another “69,” normal sexual intercourse, and sodomy. During this period he asked her if she knew anyone by the name of “Spider.” She replied, “No.” 2

Finally, at about 4 a.m., defendant fell asleep with his arm around her chest. Paralyzed with fear, Priscilla did not try to flee. At around 6 a.m. she awoke defendant, telling him he had better leave. Defendant told her he had still not gotten what he came for.

Priscilla managed to run into the kitchen and grab some knives before going into her son’s room to protect him. Defendant came out of the bedroom and threw brandy at her. She told him to leave and that if he came any closer, she would kill him.

At this point, defendant started begging her not to hurt him, saying he was sorry, and repeatedly asking her not to call the police. She only screamed for him to leave. He finally left by the back door and she immediately locked it.

After defendant left, Priscilla telephoned friends Jaime Guevara and Mary and Clint Tillman.

On the way to Priscilla's home, the Tillmans spotted defendant, known to them as "Spider.” a few blocks from her home. When they arrived at Priscilla’s, she was terrified and hysterical; the living room was in complete disarray. After Priscilla described her attacker and what he was wearing, the Tillmans realized it was "Spider.” Since the Tillmans knew where "Spider” resided, they showed the police "Spider’s” residence after the police arrived and were informed of the events that had transpired.

When Officer Acencion Barrera spotted someone who matched the description of Priscilla's assailant, he pursued the suspect but was unable to apprehend him.

*51 Later, Officer Barrera joined Officer Michael Lackey, and they went to the residence Clint Tillman had shown Lackey as “Spider’s" residence. Defendant’s mother permitted them to enter that residence. Clothing matching that described by Priscilla as worn by her attacker was on a couch and chair in the living room. Defendant was found crouched in a corner of a bedroom hiding beneath a large quantity of clothing.

Defendant was arrested and brought to the Wasco substation where physical evidence (his clothing) could be collected. After defendant heard officers discussing how to package the clothing to avoid contamination, defendant managed to pull the clothing on the floor and stomp on it until he was subdued. 3

Sometime later that morning, defendant escaped out the back door of the substation but was promptly reapprehended.

Vaginal swabs taken from Priscilla were consistent with defendant’s body fluids. Pubic hair identical to defendant’s was found in Priscilla’s bed. Similarly, pubic hair matching that of Priscilla’s was found in a combing of defendant’s pubic hair at the time of his arrest.

Defense

Defendant’s defense was consent. He testified that he first met Priscilla on the evening in question while he was walking the streets at 7 p.m.. smoking a marijuana cigarette. She was standing on the sidewalk and asked for some “hits [on] my joint," so he shared it with her. She invited him to her house to smoke some of her marijuana, and he accepted her invitation.

After they smoked Priscilla's marijuana at her house, she told him she was lonely and wanted to make love. Defendant thought he might be able to get some money out of her, so he consented.

Defendant said that each of their sexual acts which followed (oral copulation, “69," intercourse and sodomy) was initiated by her. At no time was any physical force used. Defendant said he attempted only one sodomy and that he abandoned it because she complained of pain.

Discussion

I.-III. *

*52 IV.

Privilege Against Self-incrimination

The trial court ordered defendant to provide the People hair (pubic and head), saliva and blood samples. Defendant argues that this order violated his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination because there is no specific case law allowing the nonconsensual removal of pubic or head hair. We disagree.

In Schmerber v. California (1966) 384 U.S. 757 [16 L.Ed.2d 908, 86 S.Ct. 1826] blood was drawn from a suspected drunk driver over his objection. The Supreme Court set forth a balancing test of weighing the individual’s privacy and bodily integrity interests against the community’s interest in fairly and accurately determining guilt or innocence. The court held that the evidence was properly obtained and admissible because the intrusion was minimal, society’s interest was significant, and there were exigent circumstances in obtaining the evidence before it dissipated. Recently, in Winston v. Lee (1985) 470 U.S. 753, 761 [84 L.Ed.2d 662, 669, 105 S.Ct. 1611, 1617], the court pointed out that: “A crucial factor in analyzing the magnitude of the intrusion in Schmerber is the extent to which the procedure may threaten the safety or health of the individual.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
180 Cal. App. 3d 47, 225 Cal. Rptr. 277, 1986 Cal. App. LEXIS 1484, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-thomas-calctapp-1986.