People v. Chenault CA4/1

Opinion

McDONALD, J.

Darrell L. Chenault appeals a judgment following his jury convictions on 13 counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 years of age (Pen. Code, § 288, subd. (a)) 1 and two counts of forcible lewd acts on a child under 14 years of age (§288, subd. (b)). On appeal, he contends (1) the trial court abused its discretion by allowing a support dog 2 to be present during the testimony of two child witnesses without individualized showings of necessity and (2) the presence of the support dog was inherently prejudicial and violated his federal constitutional rights to a fair trial and…