People v. Adams CA2/2

Filed 10/14/15 P. v. Adams CA2/2

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION TWO

THE PEOPLE, B261641

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. GA051127) v.

JAMES JON ADAMS,

Defendant and Appellant.

THE COURT:*

James Jon Adams (defendant) appeals the decision of the Los Angeles County Superior Court denying his petition, filed under Penal Code section 1026.2,1 to declare his sanity restored. Appellant has, via appointed counsel, filed a brief asking this court to conduct an independent review of the record, i.e., a review similar to that required pursuant to People v. Wende (1979) 25 Cal.3d 436 (Wende), and determine if there are any issues in the record deserving of further briefing. Defendant has also personally filed a brief asking this court to reverse the trial court’s order denying his petition. We have reviewed the briefs and the record in the trial court. Based on that review, we affirm the trial court’s order.

* BOREN, P.J., ASHMANN-GERST, J., HOFFSTADT, J. 1 All further statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise indicated.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND Defendant and L.H. graduated from the same high school in 1984 but were not acquainted. Following their 10-year high school reunion in 1994, defendant wrote several letters to L.H., some of which he dropped off at her church. Some of the letters expressed his love for L.H., while others asserted that L.H’s father was having an affair with defendant’s ex-wife, and accused L.H. and others of plotting to take away defendant’s children. Defendant also made numerous phone calls to L.H.’s home and left threatening voice messages. L.H. reported the letters and calls to the police. Between 1994 and 2002 she moved three times but defendant was able to obtain her new phone number and address each time. In late 2002, defendant called L.H.’s home and asked where his children were. One day he showed up at the home and was told to leave by L.H.’s husband. At 3:00 a.m. the following day he broke into L.H.’s home, went to her bedroom, and charged towards her and her husband. A struggle ensued and he was forced out of the home. Defendant was standing on the street in front of the home yelling loudly when he was arrested by the police. Defendant, then 36 years old, was convicted of two counts of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury (§ 245, subd. (a)(1)), burglary (§ 459), and stalking (§ 646.9, subd. (a)). Defendant raised a defense of not guilty by reason of insanity. He introduced evidence that, prior to the charged incidents, he had been hospitalized due to violent behavior related to delusional beliefs on four occasions: In 1995 he struck his mother; in 1998 he entered his doctor’s office with a knife; in 1999 he threatened harm to his father and fought with police officers; and in 2002, after he stopped taking his medication, he was described as ‘“combative and difficult to handle”’ when found living in the woods. The jury credited this evidence and found defendant not guilty by reason of insanity. The trial court committed defendant to Patton State Hospital pursuant to section 1026 for a term not to exceed 17 years, 4 months.