People v. Vance

292 P.2d 552, 138 Cal. App. 2d 871, 1956 Cal. App. LEXIS 2447
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 31, 1956
DocketCrim. 2610
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 292 P.2d 552 (People v. Vance) 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. Vance, 292 P.2d 552, 138 Cal. App. 2d 871, 1956 Cal. App. LEXIS 2447 (Cal. Ct. App. 1956).

Opinion

McMURRAY, J. pro tem. *

After deliberating 23 minutes, a jury found defendant guilty of attempted second degree burglary and of two prior felony convictions as charged in the second amended information.

Between 9 and 10 p. m. on October 14, 1954, Mr. and Mrs. Hamblin and their 18-year-old nephew Jimmie Rose were watching television in their apartment when they heard the sound of breaking glass from an adjacent alley where Mrs. Hamblin had recently parked and locked her 1948 Dodge two-door sedan; all glass in the car had then been intact Upon hearing the crash the Hamblins and Jimmie investigated and saw a man near her ear. Mr. Hamblin asked the man what he was doing there and the man replied that he was looking for a place to sleep; he then left the alley and proceeded down the street. At that time the right front wind-wing of the Dodge was found to be shattered. The nephew followed the defendant several blocks and observed him stop by another car, heard the sound of breaking glass and saw defendant then proceed to a hotel. Subsequently a parked car with a shattered windwing was found where defendant had been seen to stop. The nephew then returned to the Hamblin home, the police were notified and the nephew accompanied an officer to the hotel.

The officer testified that he first saw defendant lying fully clothed on a bed, that the officer believed defendant was feigning sleep. The officer then searched defendant and found a wallet bearing a card with the name Ibarra, a watch case, a 12-inch long screwdriver, a trouble light, a steering wheel knob, a padlock, and three keys, none of which fitted the lock. When questioned by the officer defendant answered that he guessed these articles were his.

Ibarra testified that the wallet was his, as were the watch ease and the lock. He testified that he had signed the card found in the wallet and gave an exemplar signature for comparison during the trial; he also produced a key which *873 unlocked the padlock and stated that the items had been stolen from his car.

A qualified fingerprint expert testified that defendant’s prints were identical with those kept as records in the matter of the two prior convictions.

There was no evidence offered by the defense and no argument on his behalf.

This appeal is founded upon three letters from appellant to this court, the first dated March 6, 1955, and the second dated September 19, 1955, and filed on September 21, 1955, the day after this matter was submitted to this court without argument. Respondent filed a reply brief and has answered the second letter by a letter to the court. Thereafter another letter dated October 4, 1955, was received from appellant and filed October 7, 1955.

After the filing of his first letter appellant requested that counsel be appointed to prosecute the appeal. This request was refused as the letter by appellant had already been considered as his opening brief and respondent had filed a brief in reply thereto. The time elapsing between the letter considered as appellant’s opening brief and the request for appointment of counsel was three months, lacking one day, and the request was filed 36 days after the mailing of respondent’s brief to appellant.

Appellant’s opening letter brief contends that errors were made in the trial that violated his legal rights.

First, he states that his prior felony convictions should not have been read to the jury as a part of the information. Upon arraignment under an amended information appellant pleaded not guilty to the charge of attempted burglary, but refused to admit or deny the two prior convictions alleged in the information, whereupon the court, under Penal Code, section 1025, entered a denial as to the two prior convictions. Under such circumstances, “It was therefore the duty of the district attorney to present competent evidence relative to the prior convictions and the duty of the trial judge to receive such evidence.” (People v. Kingsbury, 70 Cal.App.2d 128 [160 P.2d 587].)

The appellant next contends that it was error to allow a second amended information to be filed during the course of the trial to change the description of the car contained in the first amended information from “a 1950 Ford 4-door sedan” to “a 1948 Dodge 2-door sedan.” He further says the evidence throughout the trial was vague and conflicting *874 in this respect. This latter statement finds no support in the record, there is no vagueness or conflict apparent regarding this aspect of the case.

There was no error in allowing the amendment of the information. Penal Code, section 1009, authorizes such amendment at any stage of the proceedings so long as the substantial rights of the defendant are not thereby prejudiced. Penal Code, section 956, provides in part that when an offense involves an attempt to commit a private injury and is described with sufficient certainty in other respects to identify the act, an erroneous allegation of the property involved is not material. A like amendment was held proper in People v. O’Moore, 83 Cal.App.2d 586 [189 P.2d 554]. Furthermore, no objection was made to the amendment, but appellant entered a plea of not guilty to the amended information and acquiesced in the course pursued; under such circumstances claim of error is waived and cannot be urged for the first time on appeal. (People v. Beck, 71 Cal.App.2d 637 [163 P.2d 41].)

Appellant states that the testimony of the witness Jimmie Eose was confused and conflicting. The point is not well taken. The testimony of the witness is easily understood and is straightforward. An objection to evidence cannot be made for the first time on appeal. (People v. Ross, 98 Cal.App.2d 805 [221 P.2d 280]; People v. Cassandras, 83 Cal.App.2d 272 [188 P.2d 546]; People v. Peete, 28 Cal.2d 306 [169 P.2d 924].)

The appellant during the trial requested that a handwriting expert compare witness Ibarra’s signatures and now urges that the court erred in not appointing such expert. Appellant completely ignores his subsequent abandonment of this request when, after discussion, he said: “Your Honor, let the jury decide whether it is the same writing.” Even without such abandonment the appointment of an expert witness is within the court’s discretion under Code of Civil Procedure, section 1871, and no abuse of such discretion appears here. (People v. Rickson, 112 Cal.App.2d 475, 479 [246 P.2d 700].) Comparison of handwriting by the jury is a method recognized and prescribed by Code of Civil Procedure, section 1944.

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Bluebook (online)
292 P.2d 552, 138 Cal. App. 2d 871, 1956 Cal. App. LEXIS 2447, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-vance-calctapp-1956.