People v. Mireles
People v. Mireles
Dissenting Opinion
I agree that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by excluding evidence of Dennis Bott's prior convictions, admitting evidence of Mireles's prior convictions, or allowing Clifton Roth to testify as a rebuttal witness. Because I concur that the court did not *250abuse its discretion in those matters, I also concur that those alleged errors did not have the cumulative effect of depriving Mireles of due process.
Nevertheless, I believe People v. Williams (2013)
*914The majority opinion relies on People v. Davis (1998)
Davis was not a robbery case. Our Supreme Court did not decide whether Davis could have been convicted of robbery for his larceny of a shirt had a scuffle ensued when he attempted to leave Mervyn's with a fraudulently obtained credit voucher (instead of a shirt). Consequently, without more Davis would theoretically support a jury's finding that Mireles's initial taking of the weed killer from the shelf was a larceny. But Davis cannot support any more than that proposition. The majority opinion extends Davis far beyond its natural or logical reach.
On the other hand, the majority opinion attempts to distinguish Williams . The majority opinion characterizes Williams thus: "[T]he defendant Williams used a credit card that had been 're-encoded with a third party's credit card information' to purchase a gift card from a novice Walmart cashier, who did not know that such purchases were against company policy-Walmart prohibited the use of credit cards for purchases of gift cards. [Citation.] After Walmart 'permitted' the defendant to keep the first gift card, he tried to purchase more gift cards at a different register; as a result, he came under the scrutiny of the store's loss prevention personnel . [Citation.] Security guards eventually confronted the defendant; they pointed out to him that the number on his credit card did not match the credit card number on the sales receipt. When the guards attempted to detain the defendant, he pushed past them and ran." (Maj. opn. ante , at p. 909, italics added.)
Williams did not merely try to purchase more gift cards at a different register; he actually did purchase at least one more gift card at a different register. And Walmart (a) suspected Williams of engaging in fraudulent transactions , and (b) watched him do so , before (c) confronting and eventually detaining him. Walmart's loss prevention officer "directly observed defendant purchase a [second] Walmart gift card" at a different register. ( Williams , supra , 57 Cal.4th at p. 792,
Many of the critical facts here are strikingly similar. Those facts have been omitted from the majority opinion's comparison of this case to Williams . Specifically, Reyes recognized that the bottle of weed killer at issue was a high theft item and she followed Mireles to the self-checkout station because she was concerned about the possibility of theft. Along the way, she asked another employee, Roth, to act as an approach witness if Mireles did engage in ticket switching. Both Roth and Reyes watched Mireles put the different UPC sticker on the bottle of weed killer at the self-checkout station. As soon as Reyes confirmed from the main pay station that Mireles had paid only a fraction of the true price for the weed killer, she moved immediately, pursuant to company policy, to intercept Mireles, which she did before he had even reached the parking lot.
These facts make this case virtually indistinguishable from Williams . The majority opinion posits that "Home Depot, in contrast to Walmart, did not rely on a false representation by Mireles at any point in the transaction." (Maj. opn.
*915ante , at p. 910.) If that is true, then it must also be true that Walmart did not rely on Williams when he purchased a second gift card using re-encoded credit cards because a Walmart security guard who suspected fraudulent activity stationed himself on a bench across from the second register to watch Williams conduct the fraudulent transaction.
We are not without guidance about what constitutes theft by false pretenses. People v. Traster (2003)
The majority opinion may, therefore, lead to inconsistent charging and punishment of the same type of crime. Beyond its omission of critical facts, it offers no clear measure of the difference between what happened in Williams and what happened here.
In summary, the majority opinion finds that Mireles committed larceny when he first picked up the bottle of weed killer from the shelf and that larceny became robbery in the parking lot when a scuffle ensued between Mireles and Reyes: "The larceny began when Mireles removed the weed killer from the shelf and it continued until the time he was arrested." (Maj. opn., ante , at p. 910.) There was, however, a transaction between those two events that the majority opinion does not acknowledge. As in Williams , that transaction defined the crime. Mireles did not simply pick up the bottle and walk out of the store without paying for it, just as Williams did not simply pick up gift cards and walk out of the store without paying for them. In each case, the defendant pretended to pay for the product before absconding.
I see no meaningful distinction between Williams and this case. And that the Williams court was aware of (and cited to) Davis leads me further to conclude that Williams knowingly created the distinction the majority opinion now seeks to ignore.
Williams is the law and it directs a different outcome here. I therefore dissent.
Opinion of the Court
*240Belinda Reyes (Reyes), a Home Depot asset protection specialist, and Clifton *906Roth (Roth), a sales associate, watched Kevin Mireles (Mireles) place a universal product code (UPC) sticker for a $4.47 bottle of roach killer on a $39.98 bottle of weed killer, pay $4.47 at a self-checkout station for the $39.98 product, and walk out of the store. Reyes and Roth followed Mireles outside, where Reyes confronted Mireles and a scuffle ensued. Police arrested Mireles; the People charged him with, and a jury convicted him of, second degree robbery under Penal Code section 212.5, subdivision (c),
Mireles appeals from his robbery conviction. He contends the trial court improperly excluded evidence of a prosecution witness's prior felony convictions and improperly admitted evidence of Mireles's prior criminal conduct in violation of Evidence Code section 352, the trial court improperly admitted testimony from an undisclosed rebuttal witness contrary to Penal Code section 1054.1, and the cumulative effect of the trial court's errors deprived him of a fair trial. We requested supplemental briefing from the parties as to whether Mireles's conduct as charged and tried could constitute robbery in light of People v. Williams (2013)
We hold that Mireles's conduct constitutes robbery and that the trial court did not err with respect to the challenged evidentiary and discovery rulings. Accordingly, we affirm.
BACKGROUND
I. The robbery
On August 18, 2015, Mireles entered a Home Depot store in Signal Hill. Reyes watched Mireles take a bottle of weed killer-a "high-theft" item-from the shelf, pull a UPC sticker from his pocket, put it on the weed killer bottle, and scan the bottle at a self-checkout station. The $39.98 bottle of weed killer scanned for $4.47. Mireles paid the $4.47 and exited the store.
Reyes asked Roth to accompany her as an "approach witness" as she followed Mireles from the store and confronted him about the theft. Reyes identified herself to Mireles as "loss prevention" and told him to return the weed killer. When Mireles did not comply, Reyes reached for Mireles's hand *241and Mireles swung his closed fist at Reyes. Dennis Bott (Bott) approached the Home Depot entrance just as the confrontation unfolded. Bott put his cane around Mireles and restrained him until police arrived.
II. The trial
The People charged Mireles with one count of second degree robbery under section 212.5, subdivision (c). Mireles pleaded not guilty, and the case proceeded to a jury trial on July 20, 21, and 22, 2016.
At trial, the court granted the People's motion to preclude evidence of Bott's past criminal conduct and denied Mireles's motion to preclude evidence of Mireles's past criminal conduct. The court admitted evidence detailing Mireles's past criminal conduct. Additionally, the trial court allowed Roth to testify for the prosecution as a rebuttal witness over Mireles's objection that the People had not earlier identified Roth as a potential witness. Mireles testified on his own behalf. While he admitted to stealing the bottle of weed killer, Mireles disputed using any "force, fear, or *907intimidation to get away with the weed killer."
The jury found Mireles guilty of second degree robbery. The trial court placed Mireles on formal probation for three years with various conditions, including 90 days in county jail with credit for time served and good behavior, and 60 days of Caltrans work. Mireles timely appealed.
DISCUSSION
I. Mireles was properly convicted of robbery
Mireles argues that under the teaching of Williams , supra ,
A. STANDARD OF REVIEW
It is undisputed that Mireles "knowingly and purposefully" placed a UPC sticker from another product on the bottle of weed killer and purchased the *242$39.98 bottle of weed killer for $4.47-he plainly and repeatedly admitted to doing so at trial. Accordingly, the question before us is whether Mireles's conduct constituted theft by larceny (the theory on which the trial court instructed the jury), or theft by false pretenses. "Issues of law, including statutory construction and the application of that construction to a set of undisputed facts, are subject to this court's independent review." ( Hill Brothers Chemical Co. v. Superior Court (2004)
B. THEFT BY LARCENY VERSUS THEFT BY FALSE PRETENSES
1. Theft by larceny
"The elements of theft by larceny are well settled: the offense is committed by every person who (1) takes possession (2) of personal property (3) owned or possessed by another, (4) by means of trespass and (5) with intent to steal the property, and (6) carries the property away." ( People v. Davis (1998)
2. Theft by false pretenses
"[T]heft by false pretenses involves the consensual transfer of possession as well as title of property ; therefore, it cannot be committed by trespass." ( Williams , supra , 57 Cal.4th at p. 788,
3. Distinguishing between theft by larceny and theft by false pretenses
The differences between theft by larceny and theft by false pretenses are illustrated by two decisions by our Supreme Court: Davis , supra ,
*243In Davis , supra ,
In Williams , supra ,
C. MIRELES COMMITTED THEFT BY LARCENY
Like the defendant in Davis , supra ,
In urging that the judgment be reversed, our concurring and dissenting colleague argues that there is "no meaningful distinction between Williams [, supra ,
What distinguishes this case from Williams , supra ,
In Williams , supra ,
Moreover, in Williams , supra ,
II. The trial court did not abuse its discretion
Mireles contends that the trial court erred with regard to three rulings. First, he argues that the court improperly excluded evidence of Bott's prior felony convictions. Second, Mireles maintains that the trial court should have excluded evidence of his past criminal conduct. Third, he insists that the trial court erred in failing to sanction the People for purportedly failing to disclose timely one of its rebuttal witnesses, Roth.
*246We review each of these rulings for an abuse of discretion. ( People v. Rodriguez (1999)
*911"It is often said that a trial court's exercise of discretion will be reversed only if its decision is 'beyond the bounds of reason.' " ( Horsford v. Board of Trustees of California State University (2005)
A. EXCLUSION OF BOTT'S PRIOR CONVICTIONS WAS PROPER
Before the first witness testified, at an Evidence Code section 402 hearing, the People brought to the trial court's attention that one of its witness, Bott, had previously suffered a number of convictions that arguably involved moral turpitude: a 1983 conviction for selling and/or transporting controlled substances ( Health & Saf. Code, § 11352 ); and two misdemeanor convictions in 1992 for "hit and run" and "petty theft."
Although "[t]here is no consensus among courts as to how remote a conviction must be before it is too remote. [Citation.] ... [A] conviction that is twenty years old ... certainly meets any reasonable threshold test of remoteness." ( People v. Burns (1987)
B. ADMISSION OF MIRELES'S PRIOR CONVICTIONS WAS PROPER
Mireles argues that the trial court abused its discretion when it refused to prevent the People from impeaching him with evidence of two thefts he committed in 2010 and 2012-respectively, five and three years before the instant offense.
At trial, before Mireles testified, defense counsel objected to the admission of her client's prior convictions, arguing that they were too remote in time. The trial court overruled the objection. In order to lessen the impact of these convictions on the jury, Mireles admitted to them on direct examination. On appeal, Mireles contends that his prior crimes were "barely probative and it gave the jury almost no additional information regarding [his] moral turpitude."
Our Supreme Court has stated that "[i]n considering whether to admit evidence of a prior felony conviction of a witness subject to impeachment concerning his or her credibility, the prominent factors in determining the probative value of the prior conviction include 'whether the conviction (1) reflects on honesty and (2) is near in time.' " ( *912People v. Brooks (2017)
C. THE FINDING OF NO DISCOVERY ABUSE WAS PROPER
During the defense's presentation of evidence, the People advised the trial court and Mireles's counsel that it intended to call two rebuttal witnesses, one of whom was Roth, the Home Depot employee who served as Reyes's approach witness as she followed and then confronted Mireles. Defense counsel objected to Roth on the ground of "unfair surprise"-Roth's name was not on the People's witness list and the defense had not had an opportunity to interview Roth before trial. The trial court overruled the *248defense's objection for two principal reasons: First, Roth's name was "available, both sides could have contacted him [before trial]."
Section 1054.1 requires, among other things, that the prosecuting attorney provide the defense with the "names and addresses of persons [he or she] intends to call as witnesses at trial." ( § 1054.1, subd. (a).) Although section 1054.1 does not expressly specify that rebuttal witnesses are included, our Supreme Court has held that "the only reasonable interpretation" of the statute is that it "includes both witnesses in the prosecution's case-in-chief and rebuttal witnesses that the prosecution intends to call." ( Izazaga v. Superior Court (1991)
Here, the People interviewed Roth during trial and "immediately" provided the interview notes to the defense. There is no evidence of sandbagging by the People-that is, there is no evidence that the People intended to call Roth as a witness prior to interviewing him. Indeed, there is evidence that the People were fully prepared to go to trial without ever calling Roth. On June 10, 2016, more than a month before the People interviewed Roth, and after a jury had been selected, Mireles moved successfully for a mistrial due to the defense's difficulty in locating one of its witnesses. The People "strongly opposed" Mireles's motion for a mistrial, advising the trial court that the People "are ready to proceed today. We have our witnesses lined up."
Moreover, as courts have observed, "A trial is not a scripted proceeding. ... [D]uring the trial process, things change and the best laid strategies and expecta *913tions may quickly become inappropriate : witnesses who have been interviewed vacillate or change their statements; events that did not loom large prospectively may become a focal point in reality . Thus, there must be some flexibility. After all, the ' "true purpose of a criminal trial" ' is ' "the ascertainment of the facts." ' [Citation.] After hearing a witness, the necessity of a rebuttal witness may become more important ." ( People v. Hammond (1994)
Moreover, even assuming that the trial court did err with respect to Roth, it is not reasonably probable that Mireles would have obtained a more favorable result. ( People v. Watson , supra , 46 Cal.2d at p. 836,
D. NO CUMULATIVE EFFECT
Mireles further contends that the cumulative effect of the alleged errors deprived him of his federal due process right to a fair trial.
"Under the cumulative error doctrine, the reviewing court must 'review each allegation and assess the cumulative effect of any errors to see if it is reasonably probable the jury would have reached a result more favorable to defendant in their absence.' " ( People v. Williams (2009)
We have found no errors.
DISPOSITION
The judgment is affirmed
I concur:
ROTHSCHILD, P.J.
All further statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise indicated.
"Robbery is the felonious taking of personal property in the possession of another, from his person or immediate presence, and against his will, accomplished by means of force or fear." (§ 211, italics added.)
The People also noted that in 2001 Bott was convicted for obstruction of justice and resisting arrest (§ 148, subd. (a)(1) ). During trial, counsel for Mireles argued that that particular conviction was not a crime of moral turpitude. Consequently, Mireles has waived his argument on appeal with respect to that conviction.
Reyes mentioned Roth by name during her testimony at the preliminary hearing.
Roth testified that Mireles swung at Reyes twice.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.