People v. Castillo CA6

I. BACKGROUND

A. The Information On September 30, 2020, Castillo was charged by information with being a felon in possession of a firearm (§ 29800, subd. (a)(1); count 1) and illegally possessing ammunition (§ 30305, subd. (a)(1); count 2). B. The Testimony at the Hearing on the Motion to Suppress In December 2020, Castillo filed a motion to suppress (§ 1538.5), which the People opposed. The following month, the trial court held a hearing on the motion. During the hearing, Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Christopher Medina testified that he was on duty at around 2:00 a.m. on June 28, 2020. He was conducting an area check of a neighborhood near a bluff close to a beach that was known for marijuana smoking and illegal parking. That evening, Deputy Medina was with two other officers, Deputy Galindo and Deputy Munoz, when he saw an unoccupied car parked next to a no-parking sign near the bluff. The sign said that parking was prohibited between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Approximately 15 to 20 yards away from the car, he saw a propane tank blowing flames “like a heater” and two people lying down on a blanket. As he got closer, Deputy Medina saw a woman and a man, later…