P. v. Laird
In the middle of the night, someone hot-wired a car, and then crashed it into another car parked nearby. Awakened by a banging noise, a neighbor saw a shadowy male figure, possibly wearing a backpack, running toward a nearby golf course. Police arrived moments later. One of them glimpsed someone disappearing into the woods next to the golf course. At the spot where the person was seen, police found a recently dropped backpack. The backpack contained shaved car keys, other car theft-related equipment, and a methamphetamine pipe. The police searched the adjoining woods with a dog, and found appellant there half an hour later, standing in a creek.
Two years earlier, another car theft occurred in the same neighborhood, also during the night. Later the following day, police found appellant and another man sitting in the stolen car. Inside the car, police found a backpack containing shaved car keys and appellant’s identification. Appellant also had a methamphetamine pipe in his pocket. Appellant pleaded no contest to the charges arising from this earlier incident.
At appellant’s trial in the present case, evidence of his prior car theft was admitted on the issue of common plan or scheme. Appellant argues the admission of this evidence was reversible error. We disagree, and affirm.
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