People v. TannerPeople v. Tanner
Opinion
This is an appeal from a judgment committing Lorenzo Lee Tanner to a five-year prison term after he admitted a third and fourth violation of drug-related conditions of probation and the court terminated his probation under Proposition 36, the Substance Abuse Crime Prevention Act of 2000 (the Act). (The Act is codified at
Tanner raises numerous arguments in support of his contention the trial court erred in prematurely revoking his Proposition 36 probation and sentencing him to prison. He essentially asserts the provisions of the Act required the state to formally make three separate noticed motions before the trial court could properly revoke his probation based solely upon drug-related violations of probation conditions imposed under the Act, and that without such due process and proper revocation, his failure to object to the court’s sentence does not result in a waiver because the sentence was unauthorized. Tanner finally contends that if the issues regarding his sentence and revocation of probation under the Act
As we explain below, we agree with Tanner that the Act requires the state to make three noticed motions before a trial court can properly revoke probation under the Act based solely upon drug-related violations of probation conditions, that the failure of the state to do so here rendered the revocation of Tanner’s probation under the Act improper, and that based on the particular facts of this case, Tanner has not waived his right to challenge the improper revocation of his Proposition 36 probation and subsequent sentence. We, therefore, reverse and remand with directions to the trial court to reinstate Tanner’s probation under the Act, and to permit the state to reopen the second properly noticed probation revocation hearing for a determination of Tanner’s amenability to drug treatment under the Act.
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
On July 17, 2003, Tanner, who was on active state parole, pled guilty to possessing a usable quantity of methamphetamine (meth) in violation of Health and Safety Code section 11377, subdivision (a), and admitted four prison priors (§ 667.5, subd. (b)) in exchange for the case being
For that hearing, the probation officer filed with the court a
At the hearing, a deputy who had observed Tanner and had given him several field sobriety tests (FST’s) and the opportunity to provide a urine sample over the period of an hour and a half that afternoon, represented to the court that Tanner was unable to produce any urine samples and was believed to be “under the influence.” Based on the positive FST results and the failure to test, the court summarily revoked Tanner’s probation and set the matter for a review hearing.
On August 28, 2003, Tanner appeared at the review hearing, waived his right to an evidentiary hearing, admitted he had violated his probation on August 18, 2003, by being discharged from his treatment program and again on August 21, 2003, by testing positive for drugs at court, and requested he be reinstated on probation under the Act. After the court accepted Tanner’s admissions to his first and second violations of probation, it formally revoked his probation and then reinstated Tanner on probation on the same terms and conditions, ordering him to report to the probation department. When the court then asked, “And understand you’re on your last chance so pay attention. All right?,” Tanner responded, “Yeah.” A review hearing was set for October 15, 2003.
The four-page
In addition, the report noted Tanner had failed to test at CCRC on July 24, 2003, and had tested positive for meth there on September 2, 2003, but that no violations were being recommended on those breaches of his probation conditions. The report also advised the court that Tanner had reported to the probation office two times in early October requesting a
The court told Tanner that if it was just a matter of being terminated because he had been in custody it would not find a violation, but that there was the positive test which he admitted. The court explained that the third and fourth drug-related violations had been found and he “only get[s] three. . . . [And in any event] there’s three drug related violations. . . .” The court advised Tanner it was revoking probation under
In response to Tanner’s inquiry as to whether probation would give him a referral for a treatment program, the court clarified that probation had been revoked, the probation department was preparing a sentencing report and Tanner needed to use his own initiative to get into treatment. With the prosecutor’s agreement, Tanner waived time for “due course sentencing” to give him more time “to establish [his] foundation” and show the court what he had done.
In addition to the court minutes of the October 15, 2003 hearing showing Tanner had admitted two new drug-related violations of the conditions of his
At the time of sentencing, the court considered a 14-page probation revocation report which detailed Tanner’s criminal history, the various violations of his
Despite these new attempts at recovery, the probation officer concluded Tanner “appealed] to be completely unamenable to [section] 1210 treatment and has exhausted his chances in [section] 1210. Given his extensive criminal history and his numerous opportunities on probation, parole and various rehabilitation oriented programs, the [probation officer was] left with little or no alternative than to recommend state prison . . . .”
After hearing from Tanner’s counsel, who initially requested a continuance to allow Tanner to retain a private attorney, which was opposed by the prosecution, the court informed Tanner it would continue the sentencing hearing but he would be “going into custody today,” noting he was still doing drugs. When the court refused to change its mind after hearing Tanner’s plea to remain out of custody so he could continue with the reunification plan in hopes of gaining custody of his daughter, Tanner conferred with his attorney, who then advised the court Tanner no longer wished to continue his sentencing and there was no legal cause why judgment should not then be pronounced. Counsel reiterated Tanner’s criminal record since 1994 had contained no violence, only various drug offenses, and the recent birth of his daughter had given Tanner an impetus to turn his life around. Counsel asked the court to allow Tanner to participate in his recovery through a grant of probation and, if the court were unwilling to do so, to impose a three-year term by striking the prison priors and imposing an upper term for his current drug offense. The prosecutor requested the court impose seven years for Tanner’s current offense and priors.
After Tanner personally addressed the court regarding his addiction and his desire to change by going into a residential treatment program so he could be a father to his daughter, the court noted it had read the reports carefully, believed Tanner sincerely wanted to be a father to his daughter, but also believed he would choose drugs over the child because he had continued to take them even after her birth. The court therefore determined a prison sentence was warranted, finding Tanner presumptively ineligible for probation and this was not an unusual case, and denied probation. The court imposed a total prison term of five years, consisting of the midterm of two years for the current drug offense and three additional years for three of his prison priors, striking the fourth prison prior in the interest of justice.
Tanner timely filed a notice of appeal on January 12, 2004, and the trial court signed a certificate of probable cause on January 13, 2004.
DISCUSSION
I
REVOCATION OF SECTION 1210 PROBATION AND DUE PROCESS
A. General Legal Principles Regarding Proposition 36 and Due Process
The Act, which was approved by California’s voters on November 7, 2000, “declared
Subdivision (a) of
Subdivision (b) of
The Act also includes specific rules that apply when a defendant granted probation under the Act violates his or her probation.
Generally, a defendant who receives probation under the Act can only have that probation revoked in accordance with the terms of the statutory scheme.
(In re Mehdizadeh
(2003)
As a matter of due process, a defendant facing a formal traditional probation revocation hearing is entitled to written notice of the claimed violations, disclosure of the evidence against him, opportunity to be heard and to present evidence, the right to confront and cross-examine adverse witnesses (unless the hearing officer finds good cause for not allowing confrontation), a neutral and detached fact finder and a written statement of the evidence relied on and the reasons for revoking probation.
(People
v.
Vickers
(1972)
B. Analysis
The gist of Tanner’s various contentions is that the revocation of his probation under the Act was premature because contrary to the statutory provisions applicable to such revocations (
The People essentially concur in Tanner’s interpretation of the revocation portions of the Act by agreeing in the respondent’s brief that the trial court did indeed count the number of violations that Tanner had admitted rather than the number of times the state had moved for revocation of Tanner’s probation and would be in error if it revoked Tanner’s probation based solely due to his four violations in two different hearings. The People claim however that the court also found Tanner was unamenable to drug treatment and therefore it properly refused to reinstate his probation after two revocations under the statutory scheme. When questioned at oral argument on this point, the People argued any error in the required procedural process for revocation of probation under the Act was waived by Tanner, and in any event, he had been provided all the due process and chances required under Proposition 36. We disagree.
That the state is required to “move” each time as a prerequisite to a finding of a violation of a drug-related condition of probation which may trigger revocation of probation under the Act is fully supported by the plain language of the statute and the fundamental rule of statutory construction that particular provisions or phrases should be interpreted so as not to render them superfluous or unnecessary. (
With regard to due process, we note that the Act and phrase in question are silent on the exact procedure by which the
Here, although the record reflects Tanner was afforded due process for the August 28, 2003 and October 15, 2003 hearings, 4 it shows the trial court mistakenly construed Tanner’s two admissions to violations of drug-related conditions of his probation at the first hearing after the state moved to revoke his probation as his two opportunities under the Act and warned him he only had one more violation before he would no longer be eligible for Proposition 36 probation. When Tanner admitted a third and fourth violation at the beginning of the hearing after the state moved to revoke his probation the second time, the court essentially told him his probation under the Act was revoked because he then had his three violations of drug-related conditions of probation. In revoking Tanner’s probation under the Act solely on the number of violations he had admitted after only two motions for revocation by the state, the court erred.
Contrary to the People’s position on appeal that the court properly revoked Tanner’s probation under the Act because it found at the second hearing he was unamenable to drug treatment as provided in
Nor can we find, as the People suggest, that Tanner’s own conduct rendered him ineligible for probation under
To reiterate, we conclude the trial court erred in prematurely revoking Tanner’s probation under Proposition 36 solely for three violations of drug-related conditions of his probation after only two motions by the state and two hearings for revocation. Because Tanner was entitled at the second hearing to reinstatement of his probation under the Act in the absence of additional findings he was either a danger to the safety of others or was unamenable to drug treatment, his subsequent incarceration cannot be upheld. We therefore reverse the judgment and remand the matter to the trial court with directions to reinstate Tanner’s Proposition 36 probation.
Because it appears that all parties and the court were laboring under a misunderstanding of the revocation procedures under the Act, in the interests of justice, the court should permit the state to reopen the second properly noticed probation revocation hearing for a determination of Tanner’s amenability to drug treatment under the Act. “There is no legal impediment to reopening the probation revocation hearing for the taking of additional evidence, [or for further fact finding,] because ‘jeopardy does not attach in probation revocation hearings, which do not constitute “trial” on a new criminal charge, result in “conviction,” or integrally relate to “enforcement” of the criminal laws. [Citations.]’ [Citation.]”
(Atwood, supra,
II
WAIVER
Relying on his position the revocation of his probation under the Act was premature as a matter of law, Tanner claims his failure to object to such revocation and the subsequent sentence imposed does not result in the waiver of such issues on appeal. The People maintain Tanner has waived any alleged defects in the court’s ruling on the revocation of his probation under the Act and its sentencing choices and reasoning because he failed to make contemporaneous objections at the appropriate times even though he received a meaningful opportunity to do so. We find no waiver.
We are aware that Tanner was represented by counsel at the initial change of plea hearing as well as every court proceeding leading up to his revocation of probation under the Act and eventual sentencing, and he twice waived evidentiary hearings regarding the proof of the violations sought by the state and admitted them. Further Tanner did not object to the notice or informal procedures utilized by counsel, the court and probation in determining his violations. However, the record also reflects that the court and all counsel were operating under the mistaken belief that Proposition 36 probation would automatically be revoked once a probationer was found to have three violations of drug-related probation conditions and not after the state had moved three times to revoke probation under the Act based on those violations. Under these circumstances, we cannot find that Tanner’s failure to object to the court terminating probation under the Act without a finding of amenability at the second hearing or to the court sentencing him to prison waived these issues on appeal.
In light of our holding that the matter must be reversed and remanded for further proceedings, we need not address Tanner’s additional arguments or claims of error.
The judgment is reversed and the cause is remanded to the trial court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Benke, Acting P. J., and Aaron, J., concurred.
Notes
Although the report states Tanner was interviewed on September 14, 2003, because the interview took place after the October 2003 birth of his daughter, his October 15, 2003 court date, and his enrollment in various programs, we presume that such date is a typographical error and that Tanner was interviewed on November 14, 2003, the same date the probation officer contacted the various program directors regarding Tanner’s progress in recovery.
Section 3 of Proposition 36 also stated its purpose was “ ‘[t]o halt the wasteful expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars each year on the incarceration—and reincarceration—of nonviolent drug users who would be better served by community-based treatment; and [][] . . . [t]o enhance public safety by reducing drug-related crime and preserving jails and prison cells for serious and violent offenders, and to improve public health by reducing drug abuse and drug dependence through proven and effective drug treatment strategies.’ ”
(In re Taylor
(2003)
Subdivision (e) of
Tanner had actual notice of what violations of his conditions of probation the state sought to prove for the August 28, 2003 hearing because of his court appearance on August 21, 2003, and also necessarily had actual notice of his termination from the first drug treatment program ECS which he, while represented by counsel, admitted as a violation of his probation after waiving an evidentiary hearing on the matter. The written