People v. Adams CA1/1

I.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL

BACKGROUND

A. Background C.C. was born in October 2001 to H.R. (mother) and another man. Two years later, in early 2004, mother began dating Adams. They married later that year and had two children together, Doe in March 2005 and a son in September 2009 (brother).2 In the spring of 2013, while the family was living in Fortuna, mother left Adams and moved to Lake County with C.C. About six months later, mother and C.C. returned to Humboldt County. They lived separately from Adams, Doe, and brother, who had recently moved to Scotia. Doe and brother stayed with mother for half the week and Adams for the other half, and C.C. stayed with Adams about once a week. Adams, Doe, and brother moved twice more in the next few years: to Rio Dell in September 2014 and to another house in Scotia in August 2015. Mother and Adams eventually reconciled, and in February 2016, she and C.C. moved into the Scotia house with him and the other children. The family lived in Scotia until September 2019 and then moved back to Rio Dell. Adams was the “primary disciplinarian” in the family. Mother testified that he was “strict” with the children, and he often spanked them. Once,…