People v. Mack

• Decision Date: 23 April 1959
• Citation: 338 P.2d 25,169 Cal.App.2d 825
• Court: California Court of Appeals Court of Appeals
• Parties: PEOPLE of the State of California, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. David James MACK, Defendant and Appellant. Crim. 6420, 6421.

Page 25

338 P.2d 25

169 Cal.App.2d 825

PEOPLE of the State of California, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. David James MACK, Defendant and Appellant.

Crim. 6420, 6421.

District Court of Appeal, Second District, Division 3, California.

April 23, 1959.

Rehearing Denied May 20, 1959.

Hearing Denied June 18, 1959.

Morris Lavine, Los Angeles, for appellant.

Stanley Mosk, Atty. Gen., and S. Clark Moore, Deputy Atty. Gen., for respondent.

VALLEE, Justice.

In number 6421 defendant was charged in three counts with forgery. On November 9, 1954 he pleaded guilty to count I, was granted probation, and the other counts were dismissed. On January 15, 1958 probation was revoked. The matter was ordered heard with number 6420. Defendant was sentenced to state prison. He appeals from the judgment, from what he terms 'the order denying probation,' and from the order denying a new trial.

In number 6420 defendant was charged with having furnished heroin to Barbara Burns, a minor of the age of 19 years, 'on or about' October 1, 1957, and sentenced to state prison. On May 19, 1958, in a nonjury trial, he was found guilty. He appeals from the judgment, from an order denying probation, and from the order denying a new trial. The orders denying probation are not appealable (People v. Grace, 166 Cal.App.2d 68, 332 P.2d 811) and the appeals therefrom will be dismissed.

Number 6420

On January 7, 1958, about 10 p. m., Officer Allen arrested Barbara Burns, a minor 19 years of age. At the time, Barbara had hypodermic marks which appeared to be recent on her hands; her skin had been punctured by a hypodermic needle; her eyes were sluggish, watery, and red, and reacted slowly to light. Without objection the officer testified 'she was under the influence in my opinion of heroin, or barbiturates of some sort.'

Officer O'Grady had been attached to the narcotics division of the Los Angeles Police Department about 10 years. During that time he had participated in over 3,000 arrests. He had observed people injecting various types of opiates intravenously, subcutaneously, and intramuscularly. He had observed them before, during, and after the injection of the narcotic in the opiate group; he had also watched them using cocaine and marijuana. For 10 years he had studied numerous works on narcotics, had attended classes on the subject, and had studied narcotic addicts. He holds a certificate to teach narcotics at the junior college level in California; teaches at East Los Angeles Junior College; and gives instruction on narcotics to police recruits. He has given more than 250 lectures to various service groups, nurse training groups, and medical doctors. He has testified as an expert in the field of narcotics more than 20 times.

Officer O'Grady examined Barbara about 12:30 a. m. on January 8, 1958. Her pupils did not react to light; she appeared to be suffering from rhinitus; her tear ducts were flowing; she was perspiring under the nose and on the forehead, neck, and parts of the arms; the palms of her hands were clammy; there were areas on her hands that had been pierced many times, apparently 'with a hypodermic needle,' almost to the point of sores.

Over objection Officer O'Grady testified that based on his examination he formed the opinion Barbara was going through withdrawal symptoms; she was about in the twentieth hour of such symptoms of an opiate; there was still an opiate in the system; from his examination and conversing with her more than an hour he formed the opinion she was under the influence of heroin; heroin is an opiate derivative.

The records of the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement did not show any record of a prescription for an opiate having been issued to Barbara.

Defendant was arrested by Officer O'Grady on January 9, 1958. Over objection that the corpus delicti had not been established, the officer testified that at the time of the arrest he read to defendant a statement Barbara had made previously. The statement in substance was: "I paid $30 a gram for heroin. I have bought approximately 50 times from David Mack. David Mack has fixed me himself 10 or 12 times, and when I shoot I use his outfit. Sometimes I buy less. I call either he or William Bombino. And in turn David brings the narcotics to me." Defendant said, "She is a damn liar. She didn't pay me $30 a gram, she only paid me $25"; "She is a liar. I didn't give her narcotics 50 times"; he was just a delivery boy; he was not making any money out of it; William Bombino would usually call him; he had the narcotics 'stashed' in various places; when he found out what Bombino said Barbara needed, he would take it to her, get the money, and take the money to Bombino; for this he would get his own narcotics.

Officer O'Grady testified that about an hour later he had another conversation with defendant. Over objection, also on the ground the corpus delicti had not been established, he testified defendant said he had sold narcotics to Barbara and had charged her $25 a gram; the last time he saw her was 'a couple of days ago'; the last time he sold her narcotics was 'a couple of months ago.' A recording of the second conversation Officer O'Grady had with defendant was played to the court over defendant's same objection. In this conversation a statement Barbara had made to the officer was read to defendant, in which she stated she first met defendant in September 1957 when he sold her a half gram of heroin. Defendant did not deny the fact.

The first assignment of error is that the evidence is insufficient to sustain the charge that defendant furnished Barbara with heroin 'on or about' October 1, 1957. Section 955 of the Penal Code reads:

'The precise time at which the offense was committed need not be stated in the accusatory pleading, but it may be alleged to have been committed at any time before the finding or filing thereof, except where the time is a material ingredient in the offense.'

'The burden was on the people to prove that the offenses occurred within the period of limitation but they are not required to prove the date with exactness. [Citation.] A variance is immaterial unless time is of the essence of the offense. [Citation.] 'An immaterial variance should be disregarded [citations]. The test of the materiality of a variance is whether the indictment or information so fully and correctly informs the defendant of the criminal act with which he is charged that, taking into...