Mendoza

On December 15, 1997, the Merced County District Attorney's Office filed a petition to civilly commit appellant, Raymond Mendoza, as a sexually violent predator pursuant to the Sexually Violent Predators (SVP) Act. The trial court found probable cause to believe that appellant was a sexually violent predator and ordered him held pending trial.

After a trail by jury, the jury found appellant to be a sexually violent predator within the meaning of Welfare and Institutions Code section 6600. The trial court ordered appellant to be committed for a period of two years at a state mental hospital.

Appellant subsequently filed a timely notice of appeal. On appeal, appellant claims his commitment should be reversed because the trial court improperly admitted hearsay evidence at the trial and improperly allowed expert testimony. We will affirm and hold that such evidence may be admitted at the trial of a person alleged to be a sexually violent predator.

Appellant had two prior convictions for committing lewd and lascivious acts upon children under the age of 14 (Pen.Code, § 288, subd. (a)). His first conviction was in 1985, and was the result of a no contest plea to a…