People v. Chaddock

• Decision Date: 16 March 1967
• Docket Number: Cr. 11798
• Citation: 57 Cal.Rptr. 582,249 Cal.App.2d 483
• Court: California Court of Appeals Court of Appeals
• Parties: The PEOPLE of the State of California, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. Frank James CHADDOCK, Defendant and Appellant.

Page 582

57 Cal.Rptr. 582

249 Cal.App.2d 483

The PEOPLE of the State of California, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. Frank James CHADDOCK, Defendant and Appellant.

Cr. 11798.

Court of Appeal, Second District, Division 1, California.

March 16, 1967.

Rehearing Denied April 4, 1967.

Hearing Denied May 10, 1967.

Velma E. Williams, Los Angeles, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for appellant.

Thomas C. Lynch, Atty. Gen., William E. James, Asst. Atty. Gen., and William V. Ballough, Deputy Atty. Gen., for respondent.

FOURT, Associate Justice.

This is an appeal from a judgment of conviction of possessing a .45 caliber automatic pistol, having a barrel of less than 12 inches in length and defendant having theretofore been convicted of a felony.

In an information filed in Los Angeles County on June 1, 1965, defendant was charged with possessing a firearm (above described) on or about April 28, 1965, having theretofore been duly convicted of a felony. Defendant pleaded not guilty and the cause was upon stipulation submitted upon the transcript of the proceedings at the preliminary hearing, each reserving the right to submit further evidence. Further evidence was introduced at the time of trial (July 22, 1965) by each side. Defendant was found guilty as charged and sentenced to the state prison. A timely notice of appeal was filed.

A re sume of some of the facts is as follows: On April 28, 1965, at about 10:30 a.m., Officer Surwillo, of the Lynwood Police Department, went to the apartment of defendant in response to a report filed by another officer that a car registered to defendant matched the description of a car involved in a market robbery in Lynwood. Officer Surwillo made an effort to locate the car in the area of defendant's apartment and finally knocked on defendant's apartment door. Defendant invited Officer Surwillo into his apartment. Defendant was asked whether he had any prior felony record and he replied that he had served time in a federal prison and was at that time out on a five-year parole. Officer Surwillo then asked defendant if he (the officer) could see defendant's car and defendant said, 'Certainly.' He said further that the car was downstairs on the street. Defendant and the officer went downstairs to the street but it developed that defendant's car had been repossessed earlier that morning. It was explained to defendant that a man seen leaving the scene of a robbery matched his description. The officer asked defendant if he would be willing to accompany him to the market where the robbery had occurred to see if the victim, or other witnesses, could identify him. Defendant stated that he would be willing to go to the market--that he wanted to get the matter cleared up. They went to the market and the victim, upon seeing defendant, said that he did not think defendant was the man who had committed the robbery. There were no threats made to defendant, he was not arrested and he was not handcuffed. The officer then drove defendant back to his apartment.

The officer had the information that the gun used in the robbery was a small foreign-type revolver. On the way back to the apartment, and before defendant got out of the car, the officer asked defendant if he had a gun and defendant replied in the affirmative, stated that he had a .45 automatic in his apartment--that he had borrowed it to go rabbit hunting. Defendant was then asked if such did not violate the terms of his parole and defendant said: 'I don't think os.' The officer asked defendant if he minded taking him to the gun and defendant responded in effect that he had no objections. The defendant got out of the car, the officer followed defendant out of the car and into the apartment and then asked defendant where the gun was located. Defendant responded, 'It's in the closet' and pointed to a closet door. Officer Surwillo retrieved a .45 caliber automatic pistol and a box of dum-dum bullets from the closet. Defendant was placed under arrest and on the way to the station was advised that anything he might say could be used against him, that he could use a telephone and...