People v. Ashlaw

• Decision Date: 26 March 2015
• Docket Number: 106135
• Parties: The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent, v. David A. ASHLAW, Appellant.
• Court: New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

126 A.D.3d 1236
5 N.Y.S.3d 614
2015 N.Y. Slip Op. 02521

The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent
v.
David A. ASHLAW, Appellant.

106135

Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Department, New York.

March 26, 2015.

5 N.Y.S.3d 614

Richard V. Manning, Parishville, for appellant.

Alexander Lesyk, Special Prosecutor, Norwood, for respondent.

Before: LAHTINEN, J.P., GARRY, ROSE and DEVINE, JJ.

Opinion

GARRY, J.

126 A.D.3d 1236

Appeal from a judgment of the County Court of St. Lawrence County (Richards, J.), rendered July 26, 2013, convicting defendant upon his plea of guilty of the crime of burglary in the third degree.

Pursuant to a combined plea agreement, defendant entered a guilty plea to burglary in the third degree in satisfaction of a four-count indictment. Defendant also waived indictment and pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of attempted burglary in the second degree as charged in a superior court information related to another incident, satisfying other outstanding charges (People v. Ashlaw, 126 A.D.3d 1236, 5 N.Y.S.3d 614 [decided herewith] ). The agreement included an appeal waiver, among other terms. In exchange, County Court adjourned sentencing and placed defendant on interim probation for one year in order to permit him to complete substance abuse treatment (see CPL 390.30[6] ) and avoid jail time. Defendant was required to comply with all conditions

5 N.Y.S.3d 615

of his probation and was warned that, if he violated them, he could be sentenced to consecutive

126 A.D.3d 1237

seven-year prison terms on each count, with three years of postrelease supervision. Defendant was specifically advised that he would be required to submit to random drug tests, obtain negative test results and comply with all recommended substance abuse treatment.

Sentencing was repeatedly adjourned to permit defendant to complete inpatient treatment. Although he successfully completed the first two programs, he was unsuccessfully discharged from the final program and, during that time, tested positive for drugs at least four times and admitted to attempting to use substitute urine for one court-ordered drug test. County Court thereafter concluded that defendant had failed to comply with the conditions of interim probation and sentenced him to a prison term of 20 months to five years on the burglary in the third degree conviction.¹ Defendant appeals.

Initially, although an appeal waiver was recited as a term of the plea agreement, the record does not establish that defendant's appeal waiver was knowing, voluntary and intelligent (see People v. Lopez, 6 N.Y.3d 248, 256, 811 N.Y.S.2d 623, 844 N.E.2d 1145 [2006] ). Although County Court elicited an oral appeal waiver from defendant, the court did not explain its meaning or ascertain whether he had discussed the appellate process with counsel. Further, although defendant signed a written appeal waiver in court, the court did not confirm that he had read it, was aware of its contents or had “a full appreciation of the...