In Re SS
Opinion
Opinion
S.S. (appellant) was adjudged a ward of the court based on his participation in the theft of an automobile. On appeal he challenges an order requiring him to make restitution to the victim. He contends that the amount of the victim's losses was not adequately proven at the restitution hearing and that the court erred by declaring his obligation "joint and several" with that of another juvenile. We find no error.
The court found appellant to be a person described in Welfare and Institutions Code section 602 upon his admission that on or about April 17, 1994, he committed misdemeanor auto theft and resisting arrest. According to the probation report, appellant was a passenger in the stolen vehicle when officers spotted it and tried to stop it. After a chase, the car crashed into a fence post and was significantly damaged. Appellant and the driver, Frazier W., were arrested.
The probation report recommended in-home placement, participation in appropriate programs, and restitution to the victim. It stated that the victim's documented out-of-pocket expenses up to that point were $1,067.17. At the dispositional hearing counsel for appellant requested that "some…