Author Archives: Gary McCurdy

Sentencing

Case 000031

Posted on by Gary McCurdy

Error and/or relief

The trial court miscalculated the credit for time served. We will therefore modify his presentence credit award.. The defendant was granted one additional day of actual custody credit.

Holding:

[NOTE BY GARY–THE COURT DID NOT ACTUALLY CITE AUTHORITY, MOST LIKELY BECAUSE IT WAS AN ERROR IN CALCULATION AND NOT AN ERROR ON THE LAW. I HAVE PROVIDED THE AUTHORITIES HERE THAT SUPPORT THE COURT’S RULING, THOUGH NOT MENTIONED IN THE OPINION.] In determining the credit for time served, the court must count all actual days in custody (attributable to proceedings related to the same conduct for which the defendant has been convicted), including the day of arrest and the day of sentencing.

Authority:

PEN 2900.5

People v. Rajanayagam (2012) 211 Cal.App.3d 42, 48

People v. Bravo (1990) 219 Cal.App.3d 729, 735

 

Sentencing

Case 000030

Posted on by Gary McCurdy

Error and/or relief

The trial court imposed an unauthorized sentence in count 1 when it sentenced the defendant as a third-striker, because assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury is not a serious or violent felony.

First Holding:

Assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury is not a serious or violent felony.

Authority:

People v. Leng (1999) 71 Cal.App.4th 1, 9 [A violation of former section 245(a)(1) is a serious felony only if the prosecution properly pleads and proves that the defendant personally inflicted great bodily injury on any person, other than an accomplice, or personally used a firearm or a dangerous or deadly weapon]

Second Holding:

When a defendant with two or more convictions for serious and/or violent felonies within the meaning of the Three Strikes law is convicted of a non-strike offense, the defendant must be sentenced as a second-striker with respect to that offense.

Authority:

People v. Johnson (2015) 61 Cal.4th 674

People v. Lynn (2015) 242 Cal.App.4th 594

Third Holding:

Because the sentence was unauthorized, we remand the matter to the trial court for a full resentencing hearing.

Authority:

People v. Buycks (2018) 5 Cal.5th 857, 893

Amelioration, Sentencing

Case 000029

Posted on by Gary McCurdy

Error and/or relief

Rhodius resolved a split of authority among the Courts of Appeal regarding resentencing eligibility when a defendant’s sentence for a prior prison enhancement (see former § 667.5(b)) was stayed and never executed. Rhodius held that defendants whose enhanced prison prior term or terms were stayed at sentencing are eligible for resentencing under section 1172.75. Pursuant to Rhodius, we therefore reverse the trial court’s order denying defendant a resentencing hearing, and remand for the court to hold that hearing.

Holding:

A defendant is eligible for resentencing under section 1172.75 where the now-invalid conviction had been imposed but was stayed or stricken.

Authority:

People v. Rhodius (2025) 17 Cal.5th 1050

Appellate Principles, Elements of crime, Sentencing

Case 000028

Posted on by Gary McCurdy

Error and/or relief

Substantial evidence does not support the true finding on the prior strike allegation. At trial, the prosecution introduced documentary evidence that the defendant was convicted in 2019 of violating section 246.3(a) along with another offense, and the defendant admitted the convictions. The evidence did not prove whether he violated section 246.3(a) by personally using a firearm, or instead if his guilt was based on his vicarious liability as an aider and abettor. The prosecution therefore failed to introduce substantial evidence that his conviction for violating section 246.3(a) constituted a strike as defined by Penal Code section 1192.7.

First Holding:

The evidence was insufficient to prove personal use, so the prior conviction was not proved as a strike.

Authority:

People v. Watts (2005) 131 Cal.App.4th 589, 596

Second Holding:

Penal Code section 246.3 is a strike under as any felony in which the defendant personally uses a firearm or as any felony in which the defendant personally used a dangerous or deadly weapon.

Authority:

PEN 1192.7(c)(8)

PEN 1192.7(c)(23

Third Holding:

Section 246.3 can be used as a strike only if the defendant personally used the firearm.

Authority:

People v. Golde (2008) 163 Cal.App.4th 101, 111-112

Fourth Holding:

Where the prior conviction is for an offense that can be committed in multiple ways, one or more of which would not qualify it as a strike, and if it cannot be determined from the record that the offense was committed in a way that would make it a strike, a reviewing court must presume the offense was not a strike.

Authority:

People v. Watts (2005) 131 Cal.App.4th 589

Fifth Holding:

On reversal for insufficiency of evidence of a prior conviction, the issue may be retried.

Authority:

People v. Barragan (2004) 32 Cal.4th 236, 239

Abstracts and Minutes, Jurisdiction, Sentencing

Case 000027

Posted on by Gary McCurdy

Error and/or relief

The court struck the name of the minor’s mother from the criminal protective order because she was not a victim of defendant’s crimes. The court also granted an additional credit of five days for time served, correcting a calculation error. There were errors in the abstract of judgment that the court ordered be corrected.

First Holding:

A protective order cannot be issued to cover those not a victim of defendant’s crime.

Authority:

PEN 136.2(i)(1)

People v. Lopez (2022) 75 Cal.App.5th 227, 236-237

People v. Walts (2025) 112 Cal.App.5th 127

Second Holding:

We have the inherent power to correct clerical errors so that the record reflects the true facts.

Authority:

In re Candelario (1970) 3 Cal.3d 702, 705