People v. Torrance
People v. Torrance
Opinion of the Court
From a judgment of guilty of violating section 337a, subdivision 3,
Facts : Los Angeles City Police Officer Scheidecker on March 23, 1949, at about noon went to Jefferson Boulevard and Grand Avenue in Los Angeles where he bought a scratch sheet. As he stood at this place he observed six people with scratch sheets walk up to one Kotowich, consult the scratch sheet and a yellow sheet of paper, look around and hand
Defendant walked over to Kotowich who told defendant, “I got one for the third. I want $2.00 to win on Easter Ship in the third.” He then gave defendant the two $1.00 bills which Officer Sehiedecker had just given him. Defendant reentered the bar and made some telephone calls, whereupon he was arrested, and npon demand of Officer Sehiedecker he pulled the two $1.00 bills out of his pocket which the officer had formerly given to Kotowich.
Officer Scheidecker stated that he was familiar with the common means and methods used by bookmakers in Los Angeles County, and the expression “I want $2.00 to win on Easter Ship in the third” meant that he had placed a $2.00 bet for Easter Ship, a horse, to win in the third race at Golden Gate Park on March 23,1949.
Question : Do the foregoing facts constitute sufficient evidence to sustain a judgment of conviction for violating the provisions of section 337a, subdivision 3 of the Penal Code?
This question must be answered in the affirmative under the decision in People v. Newland, 15 Cal.2d 678 [104 P.2d 778], In that case the evidence was not more cogent than in the present case, and the Supreme Court held that such evidence was sufficient to sustain a conviction under section 337a, subdivision 2 of the Penal Code. Therefore it is obvious that the evidence set forth above in the present case supports the judgment.
The judgment and order denying the motion for a new trial are affirmed. The purported appeal from the sentence is dismissed.
Moore, P. J., and Wilson, J., concurred.
Section 337a, subdivision 3, of the Penal Code reads:
‘ ‘ Every person,
3. Who, whether for gain, hire, reward, or gratuitously, or otherwise, receives, holds, or forwards, or purports or pretends to receive, hold, or forward, in any manner whatsoever, any money, thing or consideration of value, or the equivalent or memorandum thereof, staked, pledged, bet or wagered, or to be staked, pledged, bet or wagered, or offered for the purpose of being staked, pledged, bet or wagered, upon the result, or purported result, of any trial, or purported trial, or contest, or purported contest, of skill, speed or power of endurance of man or beast, or between men, beasts, or mechanical apparatus, or upon the result, or purported result, of any lot, chance, casualty, unknown or contingent event whatsoever;
Is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail or state prison for a period of not less than thirty days and not exceeding one year.”
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.