P. v. Peterson CA3
Defendant Zane Wallace Peterson contends the trial court imposed an unauthorized sentence when it ordered him not to have contact with the family members of the deceased victim of one of his numerous arsons. The Attorney General agrees the no-contact order should be stricken, and we concur. The trial court had no statutory authority to impose the order, and the prosecutor made no showing to justify the order’s need.
Defendant pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter (Pen. Code, § 192, subd. (a)), six counts of arson of a structure or forest land (§ 451, subd. (c)), and 15 counts of arson of an inhabited structure (§ 451, subd. (b)). The trial court sentenced defendant to an aggregate prison term of 44 years. Of significance here, the court also ordered defendant “to have no contact or knowingly attempt to contact in any manner the family of [the deceased victim].” Defendant contends this no-contact order is unauthorized, and we agree.
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