People v. Putman CA5

INTRODUCTION

Appellant and defendant Kenneth Robert Putman was convicted of felony reckless driving and sentenced to the second strike term of 32 months in prison. On appeal, his appellate counsel has filed a brief that summarizes the facts with citations to the record, raises no issues, and asks this court to independently review the record. (People v. Wende (1979) 25 Cal.3d 436 (Wende).) We affirm.

FACTS

On October 29, 2019, a team of law enforcement officers assigned to the United States Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force were in Merced County to locate and arrest defendant. He was wanted on an outstanding felony warrant in Montana. The officers were parked in unmarked vehicles near his parents’ residence, where they believed defendant was staying, and watching for his gold SUV. Around 5:00 p.m., defendant drove away from the residence in a gold SUV. Between five and seven unmarked law enforcement vehicles followed defendant. The officers’ vehicles were equipped with flashing lights and sirens, but they did not activate the signals while following defendant’s SUV. The officers were in plain clothes, wearing tactical raid vests that displayed their badges, and had large lettering…