Sawyer v. Craven

325 F. Supp. 526, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13929
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedMarch 31, 1971
DocketCiv. No. 70-2676
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 325 F. Supp. 526 (Sawyer v. Craven) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sawyer v. Craven, 325 F. Supp. 526, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13929 (C.D. Cal. 1971).

Opinion

ORDER DENYING PETITION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS

HAUK, District Judge.

Petitioner, a California State prisoner, incarcerated at Folsom Prison, Represa, California, was sentenced to the term prescribed by law, 5 years to life, on November 29, 1968, by the Superior Court of Los Angeles County following his conviction in a non-jury trial for violation of Penal Code, § 211 (Robbery). The conviction was affirmed by the Court of Appeal of the State of California, Second Appellate District, on February 25, 1970, and Petition for Hearing was denied by the California Supreme Court on April 22,1970.

[528]*528In seeking relief in this Court, Petitioner makes the following contentions:

(1) He was denied effective aid of counsel and did not receive a full and fair hearing because material facts concerning an illegal search and seizure and illegal lineup were not properly developed at the § 1538.5 hearing (Motion to Suppress) or at trial.

(2) The State used perjured testimony of a witness, and facts outside the record reveal that the State knew it to be false.

(3) The State’s factual determination is not supported by the record, since the Appellate Opinion is not correct.

(4) The search at the time of arrest was illegal, and the facts were not adequately developed.

(5) A line-up was unfairly suggestive and improper. There was no ruling by the trial Court concerning the independent origin of the in-court identification, and therefore the Appellate Court could not make a correct decision.

At the preliminary hearing held July 19, 1968, Petitioner was represented jointly with a co-defendant by a Public Defender. Because of a conflict of interests, another attorney was appointed for this Petitioner on August 8, 1968 and he represented Petitioner throughout the Superior Court proceedings. Pursuant to stipulation, the trial was held on submission of the transcript of the Preliminary Hearing and additional testimony by the arresting officer, Captain Lindemulder, both at the 1538.5 hearing and at the subsequent trial which followed immediately after denial of the Motion to Suppress on November 4, 1968.

The evidence showed that Susan Howell, an employee of the Commercial Credit Plan, saw two men enter that place of business a few minutes before 12 on June 10, 1968. She heard “This is a hold-up,” and looked back at the men. The Petitioner, whom she identified in Court, was holding a shotgun and pointing it into the office, while co-defendant Briggs was taking money from the cashier. The shotgun in evidence was identified as similar to the one she had seen, as was the money bag which was in evidence. She gave a general description to officers thereafter, and about 1:15 the same day a detective took her alone to a police car in front of the building. Three men were sitting in the back seat and she identified Petitioner and co-defendant Briggs.

Another employee, Samuel Fricklin, identified the exhibits of the money bag and a check as having been in the cashier’s drawer. At the time of the incident, this witness was seated in his office and did not know what was going on until the Petitioner appeared at the door and said “This is a holdup.” He also identified the Petitioner in Court. He was taken with other employees to confront three men at about 1:15. They were standing outside the police car at this time.

Captain Lindemulder, in full uniform, was driving a pick-up truck when his attention was attracted to a car making an erratic lane change. At that time, or shortly before, he had received information on the police radio that an armed robbery had just been committed in the vicinity. There was a general description given of the robbers, including clothing, and the fact that they were armed. He continued to follow the car, saw a resemblance to the described clothing, and also noticed that the man in the back appeared to be pushing or pulling something under the front seat.

While following, he twice tried to call the police station but received no answer. He noticed other erratic driving during the course of following the car, but at one point he lost sight of it while a train intervened. He picked it up shortly thereafter and saw the ear with the suspects turn into a driveway and pull up behind a house at 12500 S. Wilmington. He immediately phoned for assistance from a nearby pay phone, then returned to that address. Within minutes, the car drove out with the three suspects, and he again followed. When the requested police car caught [529]*529up, the suspects’ car was at once stopped, and the suspects were ordered out of the car.

In patting down one of the suspects the officer felt a solid lump in a pocket, which he thought might be a gun covered with a handkerchief. He removed a wad of money, and later found in the car other money, the total of which approximated that reported taken in the robbery broadcast. The money bag was found under the right front seat, and other exhibits including the identified gun and a shotgun shell, were found during a subsequent search of the car. The check identified by Mr. Fricklin was found in pieces in the weeds behind the place where the car had stopped, 12500 S. Wilmington.

The suspects were not immediately placed under arrest when the car was stopped, but were eventually taken into custody after the officer found the money and asked the ownership of the car. The officer also testified concerning his presence at the confrontation at 1:15 at the scene of the robbery, when the defendants, each with his hands handcuffed behind him, stood beside the police car and were asked to face in one direction, face forward, then face in the other direction, in the presence of the employees who witnessed the robbery.

After reviewing the Petition, the Response, the Traverse, the points and authorities presented by both parties, the unpublished opinion of the Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, and various exhibits including Clerk’s Transcript, Reporter’s Transcript, Appellant’s Opening Brief On Appeal, Petition for Hearing before the California Supreme Court, and the affidavit of the arresting police officer with his official field report, this Court is fully advised in the premises and orders that the Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus be denied for the following reasons.

Although it is true, as Respondent alleges, that Petitioner did not raise the issue of effectiveness of counsel in the State Courts, it will nevertheless be discussed here. The general thrust of Petitioner’s contentions concern the alleged illegality of arrest, subsequent search and seizure, and improper “line-up” or confrontation, with the addition that his counsel was ineffective because he did not make certain objections and because relief was not granted in the State courts. The record simply does not bear this out.

Petitioner argues that an independent evidentiary hearing in this Court is necessary under the authority of Selz v. State of California, 423 F.2d 702 (9th Cir. 1970), and in support thereof says that his State Court hearing was not “full, fair, and adequate,” or that the “material facts were not adequately developed in the State Court hearing.” Id,. 703. We cannot agree with this contention.

Petitioner was indeed represented by efficient counsel who presented all possible facts brought to our attention in this Petition.

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Related

United States v. Burrell
286 A.2d 845 (District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 1972)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
325 F. Supp. 526, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13929, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sawyer-v-craven-cacd-1971.