People v. Wing CA1/4

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 22, 2022
DocketA164262
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Wing CA1/4 (People v. Wing CA1/4) 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. Wing CA1/4, (Cal. Ct. App. 2022).

Opinion

Filed 3/22/22 P. v. Wing CA1/4 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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

FIRST APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION FOUR

THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, A164262

v. (Tulare County STEVEN WAYNE WING, Super. Ct. No. VCF353893) Defendant and Appellant.

Steven Wayne Wing appeals from a sentence of 400 years to life in prison after a jury convicted him of four counts of sexual penetration with a child under 10 years old in violation of Penal Code1 section 288.7, subdivision (b) (§ 288.7(b)) and eight counts of committing a lewd and lascivious act on a child under age 14 in violation of section 288, subdivision (a) (§ 288(a)) while having a previous conviction for committing a lewd and lascivious act on a child under age 14. The trial court also imposed various fines, fees, and assessments. Wing contends his lengthy prison sentence constitutes cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the United States and California constitutions; the trial court

1 Undesignated statutory references are to the Penal Code.

1 violated his due process rights by imposing fines, fees, and assessments without inquiring into his ability to pay them; it violated his statutory rights by imposing two fines that he cannot pay; and the statute the trial court cited as the basis for one of the fines is inapplicable. We agree that the statute the trial court cited for one of the fines is inapplicable, but we disagree with the remainder of Wing’s arguments. We will therefore strike the improper fine, remand for further proceedings as to that fine, and otherwise affirm the judgment. BACKGROUND Wing was born in 1953. In 1985, he was convicted of committing a lewd act on a child under age 14 (former § 288(a)). In 2017, Wing lived with his wife in Visalia. Wing’s stepdaughter, Chelsea P., lived in Reedley with her two daughters, L. and J. One day, when L. was six years old, Chelsea learned from L. that Wing sometimes touched L.’s vagina. A few weeks later, L. participated in a forensic interview. In such an interview, an individual trained in dealing with children who have experienced trauma makes children comfortable and asks questions that are not leading while police observe and suggest additional questions. L. said in her interview that starting when she was four or five, Wing put his hand under her clothes and underwear whenever she sat on his lap or next to him. Wing used his fingers to touch and rub the area between L.’s labia and the area between her buttocks, but not inside her vagina or anus. Sometimes it burned when he touched her vagina because his hands were dirty. Wing said,

2 “Oh, yeah” when he touched her, in a way L. found “actually very awkward and a bit creepy.” Wing told L. not to say anything because he did not want to get in trouble. When asked whether the touching happened more than one time, L. said, “More than one. More than two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.” She said Wing touched her “all the time” and “a lot of times” whenever she went to his house and one time at her own house. The police questioned Wing, who told them that if he happened to touch L., it was not intentional. When asked whether he had touched her at least 10 times, he said, “Maybe so.” Wing also allowed the police to access his phone. The police found photos primarily of L. Some of the photos were zoomed in on L.’s bottom. In one photo, L. was wearing shorts and lying down with her legs slightly spread open in a way that revealed a little of her underwear. Another photo was taken from behind L. as she was kneeling and bent over with her knees apart. At trial two years later, the prosecutor played for the jury recordings of L.’s forensic interview and Wing’s police interview. L. also testified. She initially said she did not remember what happened with Wing or how often. She had tried to distract herself and forget it. She said Wing had not touched her buttocks, but she also said that Wing had touched her groin more than one time. L said it did not hurt when Wing touched her. But she said repeatedly that she had told the truth during her forensic interview. The jury convicted Wing of four counts of sexual penetration of a child under age 10 in violation of section

3 288.7(b), once at L.’s home in Reedley and three times at Wing’s home in Visalia. It also convicted him of eight counts of committing a lewd and lascivious act on a child in violation of section 288(a) for touching her vagina and buttocks once each at her home in Reedley and three times each at Wing’s home in Visalia. As to the counts based on touching L.’s vagina, the jury found true the special allegation that Wing had substantial sexual conduct with L. As to all of the section 288(a) counts, the jury found true the special allegation that Wing had previously been convicted of violating former section 288(a) in 1985. The prosecution asked the trial court to sentence Wing to 400 years to life in prison for the eight section 288(a) counts and impose but stay a sentence of 120 years to life in prison for the four section 288.7(b) counts. Wing argued that a sentence of 400 years to life was cruel and unusual and asked the court to strike his prior conviction under People v. Superior Court (Romero) (1996) 13 Cal.4th 497 because the conviction was from 1985. The trial court declined to strike Wing’s prior conviction and rejected Wing’s argument that the sentence was cruel and unusual. The trial court sentenced Wing to 120 years to life in prison for the section 288.7(b) counts but stayed that sentence based on section 654. The court then imposed a sentence of 50 years to life for each of the section 288(a) counts, totaling 400 years. The court also imposed (1) a $10,000 restitution fine under section 1202.4; (2) a $1,000 restitution fine under section 294, subdivision (b) (§ 294(b)); (3) a $500 fine under section 290.3; (4) a $480 court operation assessment under section 1465.8, payable

4 within 30 days of release from custody or electronic monitoring; and (5) a $360 criminal conviction assessment under Penal Code section 70703.2 Wing asked the trial court to stay the restitution fines and other fees under People v. Dueñas (2019) 30 Cal.App.5th 1157 (Dueñas). The trial court denied the request, stating, “This did not fall within the Dueñas category. There is case law that states that it does not apply to cases such as this.”

2 Regarding the restitution fine, the trial court said that Wing’s period of parole would be 10 years and then said, “If granted parole pursuant to Section 300(b)(3) of the Penal Code, the defendant is ordered to pay restitution fine (3000) [sic] of $10,000 pursuant to 1202.4 of the Penal Code[] [¶] [c]ollected by the Department of Corrections, who shall deposit such amounts as received in the state treasury.” (Italics added.) Immediately after this, the trial court ordered Wing to “pay [a] parole revocation restitution fine in the amount of $10,000 pursuant to Section 1202.45 of the Penal Code to be suspended pending successful completion of parole.” Citing the minute order and abstract of judgment, the parties both describe the first fine as a restitution fine under section 1202.4, subdivision (b), and they do not describe the fine as being conditioned on the granting of parole. The parties also rely on the minute order and abstract to describe the criminal conviction assessment, which the trial court stated was based on Penal Code section 70703, as being instead based on Government Code section 70373. Penal Code section 70703 does not exist.

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People v. Wing CA1/4, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-wing-ca14-calctapp-2022.