People v. Tovar CA5

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 3, 2016
DocketF069321
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Tovar CA5 (People v. Tovar CA5) 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. Tovar CA5, (Cal. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

Filed 5/3/16 P. v. Tovar CA5

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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

FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

THE PEOPLE, F069321 Plaintiff and Respondent, (Super. Ct. No. F12908404) v.

SALOME ANAYA TOVAR, OPINION Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Fresno County. Houry A. Sanderson, Judge. Janet J. Gray, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Gerald A. Engler, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Michael P. Farrell, Assistant Attorney General, Carlos A. Martinez and Daniel B. Bernstein, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. -ooOoo- A jury convicted Salome Anaya Tovar (defendant) of first degree burglary (Pen. Code,1 §§ 459, 460, subd. (a)), but was unable to reach a verdict on the charge he committed a lewd act on a child (§ 288, subd. (a)).2 Defendant admitted having suffered two prior strike convictions (§§ 667, subds. (b)-(i), 1170.12, subds. (a)-(d)) that were serious felonies (§ 667, subd. (a)(1)). The trial court subsequently struck one of the prior convictions, sentenced defendant to a total term of 17 years in prison, and ordered him to register as a sex offender. On appeal, we hold defendant’s statement to police was properly admitted at trial, any error in admitting the victim’s statements to police under Evidence Code section 1360 was harmless, and defendant was properly ordered to register as a sex offender. Accordingly, we affirm. FACTS I PROSECUTION EVIDENCE On the night of October 17, 2012, 11-year-old A.Z. was sleeping next to her twin sister, S.Z., with whom she shared a bedroom. The bedroom had a door to the backyard. Because the door would not lock, a small nightstand was kept up against it. That night, A.Z. woke to find defendant sitting on her bed. She had seen defendant before; he slept in a partially enclosed area behind Claudia Ruiz’s house next door. The girls’ mother, J.Z., sometimes invited defendant over to eat. She let him in to use the bathroom once or twice. He was not allowed in A.Z.’s bedroom, however, and entered the house through the door that opened into the kitchen. J.Z. was the only person allowed to give him permission to enter the house. A.Z. was scared of him. Defendant had previously told A.Z. that she and her sister were very pretty. Once when the sisters

1 All statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise stated. 2 A mistrial was declared, and this charge ultimately was dismissed.

2. were at a park with some friends for their brother’s birthday party, defendant drove by in his truck and S.Z. heard him say A.Z. was pretty. Although it was dark, A.Z. was able to see defendant. He was looking through her backpack.3 He turned and looked at her and tried to hide by the bed. She did not say anything, but tried to get up to go to the rest room, which had a door that locked. Defendant grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back onto the bed. She tried to move, but he was holding her too tightly by the arms. Defendant then lay down next to A.Z. on the left side of the bed. S.Z. was on A.Z.’s right side. He tried to get A.Z. to leave the house with him. He said something about her being pretty. Defendant then put his arms under the covers. He rubbed A.Z.’s vagina over the shorts she was wearing and one of her breasts over her shirt. It scared her and made her feel bad, because she was a little girl. He covered her mouth with his other arm. She told defendant to stop and to get away, but he did not stop. She tried to push him off a few times, but he was stronger than her and did not stop. He said he had a pocket knife and was not afraid to use it. At some point, he whispered that if she would not tell, he would give her $100 each week. A.Z. grabbed her sister’s hand and squeezed “[r]eally hard” to wake her up. At first, S.Z. did not see anything, so she just lay there. Then she heard defendant say, in Spanish, “Let me lick your pussy. It will feel good.” S.Z. knew it was defendant, because, although it was dark in the room, there was enough light for her to see the red hat he always wore. S.Z. could see defendant lying on the bed and touching A.Z.’s breasts and vagina over A.Z.’s clothing.4 S.Z. heard A.Z. tell defendant to leave her alone, but he said he wanted to be her man and she was going to be his lady.

3 Neither girl ever discovered anything was missing from their room. 4 S.Z. believed the touching of the breast came first. She did not think A.Z. was covered in blankets.

3. S.Z. stood up and told defendant to get out. She did not yell, because she did not want to wake her brothers. Defendant said not to tell her mother and he would get out and get the girls whatever they wanted. S.Z. said okay, and defendant left through the back door. The girls ran to their mother’s room, and told her defendant had come into the house and touched A.Z. S.Z. was very excited and either crying or screaming. She said defendant did not want to leave and had grabbed A.Z.5 J.Z. ran outside to find defendant, because she did not know if he was still there. She took the phone with her and was already calling the police as she was running out of the house. She found defendant lying very calmly, but awake, in his hut. She told him what S.Z. had told her and asked how it was possible he could have done that, since he had previously told J.Z. that if she ever had a problem with someone wanting to touch her daughters, she should call him and he would check and see what was happening. He had said he was against people who touched children. He had previously told her, “I’m sorry, bitch, but your girls are really cute.”6 J.Z. asked him what had happened and why he had gone in to touch her daughters. Defendant said, “Well, bitch, forgive me, but your daughters are really pretty.” She asked why he did it, as they were just children. He replied, “No, bitch. Those are fully formed women. They’re already fully developed.”7 He also said, “Don’t call the police. That’s not ever going to happen again.”

5 J.Z. recalled that only S.Z. came into the room at first. A.Z. came to the room later. 6 Defendant was accustomed to calling J.Z. and Ruiz “bitch.” 7 S.Z. recalled him saying the girls were “perfect ladies.”

4. Defendant got into his truck to try to leave, and J.Z. told the police to hurry. When she tried to stop defendant, he pushed her. She tried to keep him from getting into his truck, then the police arrived, pulled him out of the truck, and set him on the curb. Police were dispatched to J.Z.’s home at approximately 11:11 p.m., in response to a call of a known subject who had been in a residence and reportedly molested the daughters. Sergeant Sherrot of the Reedley Police Department arrived around 11:15 p.m. to find Officer Moles already on the scene, talking to a man and woman outside. Moles frisked the man — defendant — for weapons and contraband, then asked Sherrot to watch defendant while Moles talked to other people who were involved.8 Defendant sat on the curb, while Sherrot simply stood by him, as defendant was detained. Sherrot noticed the front zipper of defendant’s pants was down. Defendant was wearing a hat. Sherrot subsequently went into the girls’ bedroom. He observed a small dresser inside. It was partially in front of the door that went from the bedroom into the backyard. The dresser was approximately six to eight inches from the door.

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