People v. Rocha

Defendant was convicted of grand theft. (Pen. Code, § 487, subd. 1.) Although proceedings were suspended and probation granted, he appeals from the judgment * and the order denying his motion for a new trial.

On June 1, 1952, George E. Atkinson, Jr., leased a 560 acre ranch which he and his wife owned in Tulare County to the defendant for a term of three years. The total rental for that period was $54,000. The lease provided for an initial payment of $3,000 and $1,500 a month, plus an additional $3,000 on or before January 1, 1953, or when the cotton crop was sold, whichever occurred first.…