Opinion ID: 2583928
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The California Crime

Text: On September 11, 2000, the People filed a two-count information charging defendant with grand theft of personal property from an elder (Pen.Code, § 368, subd. (d)) [1] and grand theft (§ 487, subd. (a)). The information also alleged that defendant suffered a prior conviction in 1992 in Arizona for aggravated assault with a handgun against his wife. Defendant pleaded not guilty and denied the strike allegation. At the preliminary hearing, the People adduced evidence that defendant lived with his 95-year-old grandmother and, without her permission, obtained her Wells Fargo ATM card. Thereafter, between March 11, 2000 and April 9, 2000, he accessed her bank account on 31 separate occasions and withdrew a total of $5,319.53. On October 31, 2000, pursuant to a plea agreement, defendant pleaded guilty to grand theft from an elder (§ 368, subd. (d)); the grand theft count (§ 487, subd. (a)) was dismissed. The parties agreed to put over sentencing and conduct a bench trial on the validity of the Arizona guilty plea for three strikes purposes.