People v. Austin

• Decision Date: 13 March 2014
• Citation: 2014 N.Y. Slip Op. 01640,981 N.Y.S.2d 858,115 A.D.3d 1063
• Parties: The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent, v. James AUSTIN, Appellant.
• Court: New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

115 A.D.3d 1063

981 N.Y.S.2d 858

2014 N.Y. Slip Op. 01640

The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent,

v.James AUSTIN, Appellant.

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

March 13, 2014.

Bruce D. Lennard, Guilderland, for appellant.

P. David Soares, District Attorney, Albany (Steven M. Sharp of counsel), for respondent.

Before: PETERS, P.J., STEIN, McCARTHY and GARRY, JJ.

PETERS, P.J.

Appeal from a judgment of the Supreme Court (Breslin, J.), rendered May 29, 2012 in Albany County, upon a verdict convicting defendant of the crimes of burglary in the second degree and attempted petit larceny.

Following a jury trial, defendant was convicted of burglary in the second degree and attempted petit larceny. Sentenced as a second violent felony offender to 13 years in prison followed by five years of postrelease supervision, he now appeals.

We reject defendant's contention that his statutory speedy trial rights were violated. The felony complaints commencing this action were filed on April 3, 2011 and, thus, the People had 183 days to declare their readiness for trial ( seeCPL 30.30[1][a]; People v. Cortes, 80 N.Y.2d 201, 208, 590 N.Y.S.2d 9, 604 N.E.2d 71 [1992] ). Between the filing of the felony complaint and the People's August 29, 2011 declaration of readiness 147 days elasped, all of which was deemed chargeable to the People. As to postreadiness delay, the People were charged 28 days for their failure to timely provide the grand jury minutes to the court in response to defendant's motion to inspect, bringing the total days chargeable to the People to 175. Defendant argues that an additional 16 days of postreadiness delay should have been charged to the People due to their delay in serving him with a copy of their opposition to his omnibus motion, yet he has failed to show that this inaction led to any delay in the proceedings or impeded the trial's commencement ( see People v. England, 84 N.Y.2d 1, 4, 613 N.Y.S.2d 854, 636 N.E.2d 1387 [1994];People v. McCummings, 203 A.D.2d 656, 657, 610 N.Y.S.2d 634 [1994];compare People v. McKenna, 76 N.Y.2d 59, 64, 556 N.Y.S.2d 514, 555 N.E.2d 911 [1990];People v. Johnson, 42 A.D.3d 753, 754, 839 N.Y.S.2d 346 [2007],lv. denied9 N.Y.3d 923, 844 N.Y.S.2d 178, 875 N.E.2d 897 [2007] ). Defendant's challenge to the excludability of an additional period of delay is unpreserved for our review ( see People v. Goode, 87 N.Y.2d 1045, 1047, 643 N.Y.S.2d 477, 666 N.E.2d 182 [1996];People v. Luperon, 85 N.Y.2d 71, 77–78, 623 N.Y.S.2d 735, 647 N.E.2d 1243 [1995];People v. Brown, 82 A.D.3d 1698, 1699, 919 N.Y.S.2d 674 [2011],lv. denied17 N.Y.3d 792, 929 N.Y.S.2d 100, 952 N.E.2d 1095 [2011];People v. Pratt, 39 A.D.3d 315, 316, 834 N.Y.S.2d 130 [2007],lv. denied9 N.Y.3d 849, 840 N.Y.S.2d 776, 872 N.E.2d 889 [2007] ).

Defendant's challenge to the legal sufficiency and the weight of the evidence is similarly unavailing. The trial evidence established that, upon responding to a dispatch call for a burglary in progress at a residence in the City of Albany, police officers observed that a window had been shattered and heard movement within the home. Moments later, defendant came out of the front door and, although initially complying with an officer's commands, he then fled. When he was apprehended, he was searched and a large quantity of coins was discovered on his person. Testimony revealed that the interior of the residence had been ransacked and a substantial number of coins was missing. Contrary to defendant's claims, his intent to commit a crime within the home was readily inferable from the circumstances, including his unauthorized presence therein and his flight when confronted by police ( see People v. Hunter, 32 A.D.3d 611, 612, 819 N.Y.S.2d 620 [2006];People v. Armstrong, 11 A.D.3d 721, 723, 783 N.Y.S.2d 134 [2004],lv. denied4 N.Y.3d 760, 792 N.Y.S.2d 4, 825 N.E.2d 136 [2005];People v. Ferguson, 285 A.D.2d 838, 839, 727 N.Y.S.2d 790 [2001],lv. denied97 N.Y.2d 641, 735 N.Y.S.2d 497, 761 N.E.2d 2 [2001] ). Viewed in the light most favorable to the People ( see People v. Cabey, 85 N.Y.2d 417, 420, 626 N.Y.S.2d 20, 649 N.E.2d 1164 [1995];People v. Contes, 60 N.Y.2d 620, 621, 467 N.Y.S.2d 349, 454 N.E.2d 932 [1983] ), we find the evidence to be legally sufficient to support defendant's convictions ( see People v. August, 33 A.D.3d 1046, 1049, 822 N.Y.S.2d 334 [2006],lv. denied8 N.Y.3d 878, 832 N.Y.S.2d 490, 864 N.E.2d 620 [2007];People v. Armstrong, 11 A.D.3d at 723, 783 N.Y.S.2d 134;People v. Love, 307 A.D.2d 528, 529, 762 N.Y.S.2d 162 [2003],lv. denied100 N.Y.2d 643, 769 N.Y.S.2d 209, 801 N.E.2d 430 [2003] ). Further, evaluating the evidence in a neutral light, we are satisfied that the verdict was not against the weight of the evidence ( see People v. Bleakley, 69 N.Y.2d 490, 495, 515 N.Y.S.2d 761, 508 N.E.2d 672 [1987] ).

Addressing defendant's evidentiary challenges, Supreme Court properly permitted the People to introduce the large quantity of coins that had been found on defendant at the time of his apprehension, as this evidence was relevant to the issue of defendant's intent and its probative value outweighed any potential for prejudice ( see People v. Alfaro, 19 N.Y.3d 1075, 1076, 955 N.Y.S.2d 826, 979 N.E.2d 1152 [2012];People v. Edwards, 43 A.D.3d 1175, 1175, 843 N.Y.S.2d 148 [2007],lv. denied10 N.Y.3d 810, 857 N.Y.S.2d 44, 886 N.E.2d 809 [2008];People v. Medina, 37 A.D.3d 240, 242, 830 N.Y.S.2d 76 [2007],lv. denied9 N.Y.3d 847, 840 N.Y.S.2d 774, 872 N.E.2d 887 [2007];see generally People v. Scarola, 71 N.Y.2d 769, 777, 530 N.Y.S.2d 83, 525 N.E.2d 728 [1988] ). Defendant's assertion that his constitutional right to confrontation was violated by the admission of an out-of-court statement made by the victims' neighbor is unpreserved ( see People v. Kello, 96 N.Y.2d 740, 744, 723 N.Y.S.2d 111, 746 N.E.2d 166 [2001];People v. Snyder, 91 A.D.3d 1206, 1213, 937 N.Y.S.2d 429 [2012],lv. denied19 N.Y.3d 968, 950 N.Y.S.2d 120, 973 N.E.2d 218 [2012],cert. denied––– U.S. ––––, 133 S.Ct. 791, 184 L.Ed.2d 585 [2012];People v. Wright, 81 A.D.3d 1161, 1164–1165, 918 N.Y.S.2d 598 [2011],lv. denied17 N.Y.3d 803, 929 N.Y.S.2d 112, 952 N.E.2d 1107 [2011] ). To the extent that defendant objected to the admission of such testimony on the ground of impermissible hearsay, any error was harmless ( see People v. Kello, 96 N.Y.2d at 744, 723 N.Y.S.2d 111, 746 N.E.2d 166;see generally People v. Crimmins, 36 N.Y.2d 230, 241–242, 367 N.Y.S.2d 213, 326 N.E.2d 787 [1975] ).

Finally, we reject defendant's contention that he was illegally sentenced as a second violent felony offender. Although the second felony offender statement did not set forth...