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People v. Soto

California Court of Appeals, Fifth District
Oct 15, 2008
No. F053689 (Cal. Ct. App. Oct. 15, 2008)

Opinion


THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. JOHN ANTHONY SOTO, Defendant and Appellant. F053689 California Court of Appeal, Fifth District October 15, 2008

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Fresno County Nos. F06909485; F07903490. Arlan Harrell, Judge.

Linda J. Zachritz, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant.

Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Attorney General, Dane R. Gillette, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Michael P. Farrell, Assistant Attorney General, and John G. McLean, Deputy Attorney General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

THE COURT

Before Gomes, Acting P.J., Dawson, J. and Hill, J.

OPINION

On May 14, 2007, appellant John Anthony Soto pled no contest to infliction of corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant (Pen. Code, § 273.5, subd. (a)). The court placed appellant on three years’ probation and ordered, inter alia, that appellant pay a restitution fine of $200 pursuant to section 1202.4.

All statutory references are to the Penal Code.

On July 23, 2007, appellant was arraigned for violation of probation. Following a contested hearing, the court found appellant violated his probation. On August 27, 2007, the court imposed a sentence of four years on the corporal injury conviction, a restitution fine of $800 (§ 1202.4), and a parole revocation fine (§ 1202.45) in the same amount. The court suspended the section 1202.45 fine pending successful completion of parole.

On appeal, appellant contends, and respondent concedes, the trial court erred in imposing the second restitution fine and the parole revocation fine must be reduced to $200. We will accept respondent’s concession and modify the judgment accordingly.

DISCUSSION

Because the facts of the instant offense and probation violation are not relevant to the issues raised on appeal, we will forgo a recitation of those facts.

The first restitution fine was mandatory under section 1202.4, and it remained in effect following the revocation of appellant’s probation. (People v. Chambers (1998) 65 Cal.App.4th 819, 823; People v. Downey (2000) 82 Cal.App.4th 899, 921.) However, the imposition of a second fine was unauthorized. (Downey, at p. 921.) Accordingly, we will strike the second restitution fine.

Section 1202.45 provides that when a court imposes a restitution fine under section 1202.4, it must also impose, and suspend pending successful completion of parole, a parole revocation fine in the same amount. Imposition of a section 1202.45 fine in excess of the restitution fine is an unauthorized sentence. (People v. Arata (2004) 118 Cal.App.4th 195, 203.) Accordingly, we will order the $800 parole revocation fine reduced to $200.

DISPOSITION

The judgment is modified by striking the $800 restitution fine imposed on August 27, 2007, and reducing to $200 the parole revocation fine. As modified, the judgment is affirmed. The trial court is directed to prepare an amended abstract of judgment in accordance with this disposition and deliver it to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.


Summaries of

People v. Soto

California Court of Appeals, Fifth District
Oct 15, 2008
No. F053689 (Cal. Ct. App. Oct. 15, 2008)
Case details for

People v. Soto

Case Details

Full title:THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. JOHN ANTHONY SOTO, Defendant and…

Court:California Court of Appeals, Fifth District

Date published: Oct 15, 2008

Citations

No. F053689 (Cal. Ct. App. Oct. 15, 2008)