People v. Torrez
People v. Torrez
Opinion of the Court
Opinion
Jose Luis Torrez appeals from the judgment entered following his pleas of guilty to five counts of lewd conduct with a child under the age of fourteen years and one count of incest, and admissions that he occupied a position of special trust and committed acts of substantial sexual conduct in the commission of each offense. (Pen. Code, §§ 288, subd. (a), 285, 1203.066, subd. (a)(9).) He was sentenced to state prison for six years and contends: (1) that the superior court was without jurisdiction because an information was never filed; (2) that his pleas and admissions must be set
A felony complaint was filed in the municipal court of the Citrus Judicial District charging appellant with five counts of lewd conduct with a child under the age of fourteen years and one count of incest, and accompanying special trust allegations. Appellant pleaded not guilty and denied the special trust allegations. At appellant’s request, the preliminary hearing was continued and the matter transferred to the Los Angeles County Superior Court for a prepreliminary hearing.
At the prepreliminary hearing, a negotiated disposition of the case was reached by the parties and the court, and placed on the record. Appellant waived his rights to preliminary hearing and trial, pleaded guilty to all counts, and admitted all accompanying special trust allegations.
The diagnostic study recommended commitment to state prison. At the sentencing hearing, defense counsel indicated that appellant wished to be sentenced based upon the information contained in the probation and diagnostic reports. Pursuant to the plea bargain, appellant was sentenced to concurrent six-year terms on each of the lewd conduct counts (Pen. Code, § 288, subd. (a)) and a concurrent two-year term for the incest count (Pen. Code, § 285). This appeal followed.
Appellant asserts that his pleas and admissions must be set aside because he was not specifically advised that his admission of the special trust allegations rendered him ineligible for probation unless the court made certain findings under Penal Code section 1203.066, subdivision (c).
Appellant also contends that he was deprived of effective assistance of counsel because his attorney failed to argue for a lower term or probation at the sentencing hearing. This contention is wholly without merit. Appellant knowingly and intelligently agreed to a plea bargain which bound the court to follow the recommendation of the Department of Corrections to grant probation, or alternatively, to impose a state prison sentence. A state prison sentence was recommended and appellant received the benefit of his bargain when the trial court imposed the promised maximum six-year term rather than the much longer sentence allowed by law.
Furthermore, defense counsel requested that appellant be sentenced based upon the probation report and the diagnostic study prepared by the Department of Corrections. The probation report recommended that probation be granted. The diagnostic report concluded that commitment to state prison was the most appropriate disposition, but noted that there had been an “initial difference of opinion in the recommendations of staff evaluators. ...” Included with the diagnostic study was the psychological evaluation of a Department of Corrections staff psychologist who recommended a grant of formal probation. Apart from whether trial counsel had any duty, under the circumstances, to orally argue that appellant was eligible and suitable for probation, or that a lower term was appropriate (cf. People v. Kozel (1982) 133 Cal.App.3d 507, 534 [184 Cal.Rptr. 208]; People v. Cropper (1979) 89 Cal.App.3d 716, 721 [152 Cal.Rptr. 555]), the trial court was fully apprised of the factors militating for and against a more lenient disposition and we find it inconceivable that “a determination more favorable to [appellant] would have resulted in the absence of counsel’s failings.” (People v. Fosselman (1983) 33 Cal.3d 572, 584 [189 Cal.Rptr. 855, 659 P.2d 1144].)
Appellant’s remaining contention, that the court abused its discretion in denying probation and imposing a six-year state prison term, is equally meritless. Appellant’s agreement to a prison sentence not to exceed six years “ ‘constitutes an adequate reason for the imposition of the punishment specified.’” (People v. Tucker (1986) 187 Cal.App.3d 295, 297 [231 Cal.Rptr. 671].)
Roth, P. J., and Compton, J., concurred.
This practice is apparently employed by the Pomona branch of the Los Angeles County Superior Court to facilitate negotiated dispositions in felony prosecutions prior to preliminary hearing.
A detailed statement of underlying facts is unnecessary. It suEces to say that appellant sexually molested his own daughter from age 10 through age 14.
Penal Code section 1203.066, subdivision (c) provides that a defendant is not ineligible for probation despite a special trust finding if the court finds: “(1) The defendant is the victim’s natural parent, adoptive parent, stepparent, relative, or is a member of the victim’s household who has lived in the household. [1J] (2) Imprisonment of the defendant is not in the best interest of the child. [U] (3) Rehabilitation of the defendant is feasible in a recognized treatment program designed to deal with child molestation, and if the defendant is to remain in the household, a program that is specifically designed to deal with molestation within the family. [H] (4) There is no threat of physical harm to the child victim if there is no imprisonment. The court upon making its findings pursuant to this subdivision is not precluded from sentencing the defendant to jail or prison, but retains the discretion not to. The court shall state its reasons on the record for whatever sentence it imposes on the defendant.”
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.