- Criminal: San Bernardino Superior Judge Richard Peel’s denial of plea withdrawal affirmed in P. v. Chavez (FWV20002675/E077652)
- Jennifer Chavez participated in a beating and a stabbing with co-defendant Guadalupe Arce. It was unclear which of the defendants stabbed the victim. The defendants shared the same attorney. Chavez pleaded guilty to the stabbing, and was sentenced to five years in prison. Arce received only probation. Chavez requested to withdraw her plea, arguing ineffective counsel, that her attorney had a conflict of interest and that she pleaded under duress. The court denied her request, and Chavez appealed. The Court of Appeal found that the denial of her request was within the court’s discretion, and that the issue may be best resolved in a habeas corpus proceeding.
- Petition for writ of mandate: San Bernardino Superior Judge Christopher Pallone’s granted in Scott v. Superior Court (FVI19002377/E079281)
- Gerome Scott pleaded no contest to criminal charges that included a gang enhancement in March, 2020. Scott had threatened to bring his gang members over to harm his neighbor. Scott petitioned the Court of Appeal to vacate his judgment after Penal Code Section 186.22 limited a prosecutor’s ability to file gang enhancements. The court agreed that his judgment should be vacated,
- Criminal: Riverside Superior Judge Temporary Judge Rene Navarro’s sentence affirmed in P. v. Johnson (BAF2000948/D080807)
- Stephanie Johnson was convicted of corporal injury on a spouse. She was sentenced to five years and four months in prison. She appealed her sentence, arguing that the court miscounted her prior convictions by grouping two of the same act as one. This count of prior convictions affects her current sentence. The Court of Appeal disagreed with Johnson.
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