People v. Williams CA2/3

California Court of Appeal·Decided August 11, 2014·No. B241987·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 8/11/14 P. v. Williams CA2/3 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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

SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION THREE

THE PEOPLE, B241987

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. BA377243) v.

BRIAND WILLIAMS,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Clifford L. Klein, Judge. Affirmed.

Richard M. Doctoroff, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant.

Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Dane R. Gillette, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Assistant Attorney General, Shawn McGahey Webb, Janet E. Neeley, Joseph P. Lee and Jonathan J. Kline, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. INTRODUCTION After a court trial, defendant and appellant Briand Williams was found guilty of failing to register as a sex offender (Pen. Code, § 290.012).1 He contends the judgment must be reversed because (1) it is based on document that should have been excluded as hearsay and under Crawford v. Washington (2004) 541 U.S. 36 (Crawford); (2) the judgment is predicated on an unlawful plea in the underlying sex offense case; (3) there is insufficient evidence to show he violated section 290.012; and (4) the 14-year delay in prosecuting him violated his due process rights. We reject these contentions and affirm the judgment. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND In 1996, defendant was charged with six counts of violating section 288, subdivision (c),2 in Los Angeles County Superior Court case No. BA130843 (the 288(c) case). John Helbling is a paralegal in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. His job for 18 years was to “allege[] and order[]” documents that proved prior convictions. He assembled People’s exhibit 2, consisting of, among other things: (1) a certified fingerprint card date-stamped October 29, 1995 and stating a charge of “288(c)” against Briand Bernard Williams; and (2) a certified “Disposition of Arrest and Court Action” form (the disposition) in case No. BA130843 against “Williams, Briand.”3

1 All further undesignated statutory references are to the Penal Code. 2 Section 288, subdivision (c), prohibits lewd or lascivious acts with a child 14 or 15 years old, where the accused is at least 10 years older than the child. 3 The remaining documents comprising People’s exhibit 2 are: (3) a fingerprint card stating a charge of “211PC”; (4) “Disposition of Arrest and Court Action” form for the section 211 conviction; (5) a “Subsequent Action Disposition Information” form stating that defendant’s probation for the robbery was extended three years; (6) a “Subsequent Action Disposition Information” form concerning the robbery; (7) a fingerprint card showing a charge for “118(A) PC PERJURY”; (8) a “Disposition of Arrest and Court Action” form showing defendant’s 1998 sentence for violating

2 Alyson Lunetta, assistant manager for the California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) sex offender tracking program, certifies documents in section 290 violation cases. She prepared People’s exhibit 1, which shows that defendant signed documents dated January 3, 2002, April 11, 2003, December 30, 2003, and July 14, 2009 stating he was notified of the sex offender registration requirements.4 These forms are given to an inmate before release from custody. According to documents from the California Sex and Arson Registry, defendant never registered as a sex offender. Deputy Ralph Olivas is the records deputy at the Inmate Reception Center. He handles detentions, releases, and civil lawsuits. On July 14, 2009, Deputy Olivas gave a sex offender registration requirement form to defendant, who initialed and signed it in his presence. Otis Graham lives with defendant at 2403 West 75th Street in Los Angeles, and they were living at that address in October 2009. Wu Liang Huang, a fingerprint identification expert, examined the fingerprint cards in People’s exhibit 2 (the section 288, subdivision (c) conviction) and People’s exhibit 1 (the notification), and they match defendant’s fingerprints. An amended information dated February 8, 2011, alleged, in count 1, that defendant, on or about October 27, 2009, failed to update his registration annually (§ 290.012, subd. (a)). The information also alleged that defendant had suffered two prior serious or violent convictions (§§ 1170.12, subds. (a)-(d), 667, subds. (b)-(i)) and had served two prior prison terms (§ 667.5, subd. (b)). Defendant waived a jury trial. After a court trial, the court found, on March 14, 2011, beyond a reasonable doubt that defendant had failed to register. The court found not true the prior strike allegations, but found that defendant had served one prior prison term within the meaning of section 667.5, subdivision (b).

section 118; and (9) a “Subsequent Action Disposition Information” form that is mostly illegible. All documents were certified. 4 The registration notice states, among other things, that a sex offender must register within five working days of release from incarceration, placement or commitment.

3 On October 5, 2012, the trial court sentenced defendant to two years plus one year, under section 667.5, subdivision (b), for a total of three years in prison. DISCUSSION I. The disposition constitutes sufficient evidence defendant had a prior conviction of a crime that required him to register as a sex offender. Defendant asserts that there is insufficient evidence he was convicted of a sex crime requiring him to register under section 290. We disagree. In assessing the sufficiency of the evidence to support a conviction, “we review the whole record to determine whether any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime or special circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt. [Citation.] The record must disclose substantial evidence to support the verdict—i.e., evidence that is reasonable, credible, and of solid value—such that a reasonable trier of fact could find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. [Citation.] In applying this test, we review the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution and presume in support of the judgment the existence of every fact the jury could reasonably have deduced from the evidence. [Citation.] ‘Conflicts and even testimony [that] is subject to justifiable suspicion do not justify the reversal of a judgment, for it is the exclusive province of the trial judge or jury to determine the credibility of a witness and the truth or falsity of the facts upon which a determination depends. [Citation.] We resolve neither credibility issues nor evidentiary conflicts; we look for substantial evidence. [Citation.]’ [Citation.] A reversal for insufficient evidence ‘is unwarranted unless it appears “that upon no hypothesis whatever is there sufficient substantial evidence to support” ’ the jury’s verdict. [Citation.]” (People v. Zamudio (2008) 43 Cal.4th 327, 357; see also Jackson v. Virginia (1979) 443 U.S. 307.) Here, defendant’s sufficiency of the evidence contention hinges on the admissibility of People’s exhibit 2, and, specifically, the certified disposition from the

4 DOJ.5 The disposition states, among other things, defendant’s name (“Williams, Briand”), date of birth (“10/20/65”), arrest date (“9/26/95”), date of sentence (“7/16/96”), the charge (“288(c) PC”), and sentence (36 months’ probation).

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