The People v. Moore CA4/2

California Court of Appeal·Decided September 18, 2013·No. E056081·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 9/18/13 P. v. Moore CA4/2

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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

THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, E056081 v. (Super.Ct.No. RIF10003079) DALE BRUCE MOORE, OPINION Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from the Superior Court of Riverside County. Helios J. Hernandez, Judge. Affirmed.

Catherine White, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant.

Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Dane R. Gillette, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Julie L. Garland, Assistant Attorney General, James D. Dutton and Stephanie H. Chow, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

Defendant and appellant Dale Bruce Moore appeals after he was found guilty by a jury of two charges of failing to register as a sex offender. At a bifurcated proceeding, he

admitted allegations that he had been convicted of strike priors and had suffered prior prison terms. He now complains that his sentence was improper because the evidence was insufficient to establish the elements of the enhancement allegations he admitted to the trial court. We affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY As of 1985, defendant was required by certain convictions to register as a sex offender within the State of California. By May 2003, defendant was living in a transient camp under a bridge in the riverbed of the Santa Ana River. Many transients lived along the riverbed near the encampment where defendant was staying. Part of the riverbed fell into the jurisdiction of the City of Jurupa Valley, while part was within the jurisdiction of the City of Riverside. Some of the transients in the camp registered at the Jurupa Valley police station. Defendant had always registered in Riverside County, and had never registered in Jurupa Valley. However, defendant had registered regularly; he updated his registration 17 times altogether, and had registered in Riverside County nine times. He had registered in the City of Riverside seven times.

In Riverside County, registered sex offenders were also given and required to wear a global positioning system (GPS) tracking device. The purpose of the tracking device was to ensure that a registered sex offender did not come within 2,000 feet of a school or park. In defendant’s case, his tracking device was attached to his ankle. It was not removable, and had to be recharged twice a day.

In 2009, defendant registered in Riverside. Later that year, he violated his parole and spent a period of time incarcerated. When defendant was released, on January 10,

2010, he reported to his parole officer. The parole officer informed defendant once more of the registration requirements, including the requirement to register within five days of his release on parole. Defendant told his parole officer that he was registering in an unincorporated area of Riverside and staying at the Santa Ana riverbed. Defendant was again fitted with a GPS tracking device on his ankle, and told about the regulations for wearing and recharging the device. Because defendant was not living where there was a ready source of electricity, he could recharge his device at the local police station.

Defendant made two appointments with the registration department in Riverside, for January 13 and January 15, 2010, but he failed to keep either appointment. Defendant’s parole officer attempted to get into contact with defendant, including sending signals to defendant’s GPS tracking device. The signals would cause the device to vibrate, which required the wearer to immediately get in touch with his parole agent. Defendant did not respond to the signals, however, and did not otherwise contact his parole agent. Instead, the parole agent received a notification that the tracking device was no longer charged. The last tracking information on defendant’s device showed that defendant had been in the riverbed area.

At the time, January 19, 2010, it had been raining heavily, so defendant’s parole agent allowed some leeway, expecting defendant to keep his regular parole appointment on January 20. Defendant did not appear for his appointment, however, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. The parole agent went to the riverbed area to look for defendant but was unable to find him. Defendant never reported to his parole agent thereafter.

About two months later, in March 2010, a different parole agent saw defendant riding a bicycle in Rubidoux. He left a message for defendant’s parole agent, advising him that he had seen defendant in the community. When the second agent learned of the arrest warrant for defendant, he went back to try to locate defendant but was unsuccessful. A week later, the second agent again saw defendant riding a bicycle in the area, but traffic impeded his efforts to make contact with defendant. A few days later, a deputy sheriff responded to a call about transients in the parking lot of a shopping center; the parking lot was about one-quarter to one-half mile from the Santa Ana riverbed. The deputy found defendant rummaging through trash bins. Defendant gave a false name and birth date, and said he had no identification. A records check returned no person with the name and birth date defendant had given. Defendant insisted that the false name was his name, and denied having a criminal record. He also said that his girlfriend had his identification cards, but he could not name his girlfriend. A search of defendant’s backpack turned up a check cashing card in defendant’s true name; this time, the record check ran by dispatch returned the information that defendant was subject to an arrest warrant. Defendant was taken into custody and his true identity verified.

In September 2010, the Riverside County District Attorney filed an information alleging one count of failure to register as a sex offender (count 1), one count of failing to register upon release from incarceration (count 2), and one count of grand theft (cutting off and disposing of state property, i.e., the GPS ankle device) (count 3). The information also alleged six prison term prior offenses (2003 conviction of assault with a deadly weapon, 1996 conviction of theft with a prior, 1993 conviction of felony

recklessly evading a police officer, 1990 conviction of possession of a controlled substance, 1987 conviction of burglary, and 1978 conviction of kidnapping), and four strike priors (2003 conviction of assault with a deadly weapon, 1987 conviction of burglary, 1978 conviction of kidnapping, and 1978 conviction of rape).

In January 2011, defendant moved to represent himself; the trial court granted this motion. The trial court heard and denied defendant’s motion to dismiss the information in April 2011. By August 2011, defendant decided that the case was more complex than he had initially realized, and he requested appointed counsel. The court appointed the public defender to represent him.

Defense counsel asked the trial court to dismiss the strike prior allegations in this case. The court declined to do so, but its ruling was without prejudice to reconsidering the matter later.

The matter proceeded to jury trial. Before opening statements, the People dismissed the grand theft charge in the interest of justice. The jury returned verdicts convicting defendant of both failure-to-register charges. Defendant requested a court trial on the prior offense allegations, and the jury was excused. The People presented exhibit evidence of defendant’s prior convictions. The minutes record that the court admitted the documents into evidence. Defendant then admitted all six prison term prior offenses and all four strike priors.

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