Filed 4/20/16 P. v. Jones CA4/1
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COURT OF APPEAL, FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
DIVISION ONE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
THE PEOPLE, D068169
Plaintiff and Respondent,
v. (Super. Ct. No. SCD239671)
WILLIAM FOSTER JONES,
Defendant and Appellant.
APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of San Diego County, Timothy
R. Walsh, Judge. Affirmed.
Daniel Yeager, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and
Appellant.
Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Gerald A. Engler, Chief Assistant Attorney
General, Julie L. Garland, Assistant Attorney General, Charles C. Ragland and Allison V.
Hawley, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.
Defendant William Foster Jones pleaded guilty to felony child abuse (Pen. Code,
§ 273a, subd. (a))1 and admitted allegations that he personally inflicted great bodily
injury during the commission of the offense. (§§ 1192.7, subd. (c)(8), 12022.7, subd.
(a).) The trial court sentenced Jones to five years in state prison. Jones appeals,
contending the court abused its discretion by not considering section 1170.9 in
determining whether to grant probation. We conclude there was no abuse of discretion
and affirm the judgment.
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
In 2011, Jones was dating and living with Jessica Miller and her three children in
San Diego. In late 2011, an ambulance took Cameron M., Miller's two-year-old child, to
the hospital for two life-threatening injuries. The San Diego Police Department
conducted an investigation and believed Jones caused the injuries. In March 2012, an
information charged Jones with felony child abuse and allegations that he personally
inflicted great bodily injury during the offense. At his arraignment, the trial court issued
a criminal protective order prohibiting Jones from contacting Cameron.
While out on bail, Jones secretly married Miller before moving to Delaware. In
Delaware, Jones moved in with Miller and her children, including Cameron. In 2014,
Jones returned to California and pleaded guilty to felony child abuse and allegations that
the offense included personal infliction of great bodily injury. After pleading guilty,
Jones returned to Delaware, where he was charged and pleaded guilty to the Delaware
1 All further statutory references are to the Penal Code.
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offense of "terroristic threats" against Miller. The Delaware trial court granted Jones
probation and issued a criminal protective order to prohibit him from contacting Miller
and Cameron. Jones violated the criminal protective order against Miller by contacting
her on a few occasions while in Delaware. Prior to sentencing in this case, he admitted to
a probation officer that he physically abused Cameron. At sentencing, Jones asserted his
military service and a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) supported
consideration of probation under section 1170.9. He actively served in the U.S. Marine
Corps for seven years in Africa, Iraq, and Yemen, and alleged he suffers from PTSD
because of his experiences while on active duty.
The trial court reviewed and considered the sentencing memorandums submitted
by both parties, and specifically recognized Jones's military service and PTSD. The trial
court stated Jones was presumptively ineligible for probation under section 1203,
subdivision (e)(3)2 and looked to California Rules of Court,3 rule 4.4134 to determine
whether Jones was an unusual case, in which probation would be appropriate.
2 Section 1203 provides in part, "(e) Except in unusual cases where the interests of
justice would best be served if the person is granted probation, probation shall not be
granted to any of the following persons: [¶] . . . [¶] (3) Any person who willfully inflicted
great bodily injury or torture in the perpetration of the crime of which he or she has been
convicted."
3 All rule references are to the California Rules of Court.
4 The facts showing a case may be unusual include whether the case is
"substantially less serious than the circumstances typically present in other cases
involving the same probation limitation, and the defendant has no recent record of
committing similar crimes or crimes of violence[,]" and "[t]he current offense is less
serious than a prior felony conviction that is the cause of the limitation on probation, and
3
The trial court found Jones did not qualify for probation as an unusual case under
rule 4.413 because of the violent nature of the current offense, the Delaware offense, and
his violations of the criminal protective order protecting Cameron M. The trial court also
found that his continued relationship with Miller and her children constituted violations
of the criminal protective order and showed Jones was unable to follow court orders. The
trial court considered Jones's PTSD as contributing to his offense, but ultimately held that
Jones did not overcome the presumption of ineligibility under section 1203, subdivision
(e)(3). After finding Jones ineligible for probation, the court found alternative sentencing
under the statute did not apply to his case.
The trial court announced a sentence of five years in state prison, and Jones moved
to withdraw his plea. The trial court allowed Jones to file a motion to withdraw his plea
and, at a later hearing, denied his motion. The trial court then adopted and incorporated
by reference all comments made at the first sentencing hearing, denied probation, and
imposed the sentence.
the defendant has been free from incarceration and serious violation of the law for a
substantial time before the current offense." (Rule 4.413, subd. (c)(1)(A) & (B).) The
court may also determine that a defendant's culpability for the offense is limited because
"[t]he defendant participated in the crime under circumstances of great provocation,
coercion, or duress not amounting to a defense, and the defendant has no recent record of
committing crimes of violence," or "[t]he crime was committed because of a mental
condition not amounting to a defense, and there is a high likelihood that the defendant
would respond favorably to mental health care and treatment that would be required as a
condition of probation[,]" and "[t]he defendant is youthful or aged, and has no significant
record of prior criminal offenses." (Rule 4.413, subd. (c)(2)(A), (B) & (C).)
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DISCUSSION
Jones argues that the trial court erred because it did not consider his PTSD under
section 1170.9 in determining whether to grant or deny probation, and because the court
did not exercise its discretion under section 1170.9, a prejudicial error occurred requiring
reversal.
The grant or denial of probation is within the broad discretion of the trial court.
(People v. Superior Court (Du) (1992) 5 Cal.App.4th 822, 831; People v. Ferguson
(2011) 194 Cal.App.4th 1070, 1091 (Ferguson).) The trial court is presumed to have
acted to achieve legitimate sentencing objectives, and its decision will be reversed only if
the court's discretion was exercised in an arbitrary or capricious manner. (Ibid; People v.
Martinez (1985) 175 Cal.App.3d 881, 896.)
The Legislature enacted section 1170.9 "to ensure that judges are aware that a
criminal defendant is a combat veteran with [PTSD] . . . and to be aware of any
[appropriate] treatment programs that exist . . . at the time of sentencing if a sentence of
probation is appropriate." (Stats. 2006, ch. 788, § 1(g).) Effective January 1, 2015,
section 1170.9, subdivision (b)(1), was amended to require the court to consider PTSD as
a factor in favor of granting probation (Stats. 2014, ch. 163). (§ 1170.9, subd. (b)(1).) If
the trial court determines that the defendant is not eligible for probation, then the
defendant is not eligible for alternative sentencing under section 1170.9. (Ferguson,
supra, 194 Cal.App.4th at p. 1089.)
Here, the trial court properly concluded that Jones was presumptively ineligible
for probation under section 1203, subdivision (e)(3). Therefore, he had to overcome that
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presumption under rule 4.413 to be eligible for probation before he could receive
consideration under section 1170.9. (See Ferguson, supra, 194 Cal.App.4th at p. 1093
["[a]lternative sentencing under section 1170.9 is not triggered unless the court actually
decides to grant probation"].)
We hold that the trial court properly considered Jones's military service in
deciding whether to grant probation and correctly concluded Jones was not an unusual
case under rule 4.413 and therefore did not abuse its discretion in denying probation. The
trial court correctly considered Jones's PTSD in deciding whether he was an unusual case
under rule 4.413. ("I can tell you there is no doubt in this Court's mind the defendant
suffers from some form of PTSD at least as referenced by the psychological report I read.
There is no doubt in my mind that the defendant had a back injury that he suffered while
working as a guard in the military.") Thus, the trial court followed the recently amended
section 1170.9 in sentencing Jones.
The trial court stated clear reasons for the denial of probation. His inability to
comply with the criminal protective order, his continued relationship with Miller and her
children, including Cameron, and his conviction in Delaware supported the court's
finding that Jones did not overcome the presumption of probation ineligibility. The
severity of the injuries inflicted on Cameron also supported the court's ruling. Given
these facts, the trial court's decision to deny probation was not arbitrary or capricious.
Because Jones did not overcome his presumptive ineligibility for probation,
section 1170.9 did not apply to him. As the trial court properly considered his PTSD to
be a factor in favor of granting probation and correctly determined the statute did not
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apply once deciding Jones was ineligible for probation, we hold the trial court did not
abuse its discretion in denying probation.
DISPOSITION
The judgment is affirmed.
McDONALD, Acting P. J.
WE CONCUR:
AARON, J.
IRION, J.
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People v. Jones CA4/1
Combined Opinion