People v. Colome-Rodriguez

• Decision Date: 26 September 2014
• Citation: 992 N.Y.S.2d 652,2014 N.Y. Slip Op. 06387,120 A.D.3d 1525
• Parties: The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Johnnie COLOME–RODRIGUEZ, Defendant–Appellant.
• Court: New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

120 A.D.3d 1525
992 N.Y.S.2d 652
2014 N.Y. Slip Op. 06387

The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent,
v.
Johnnie COLOME–RODRIGUEZ, Defendant–Appellant.

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

Sept. 26, 2014.

Appeal from an order of the Onondaga County Court (William D. Walsh, J.), entered February 28, 2011. The order denied the motion of defendant for resentencing pursuant to CPL 440.46.
Frank H. Hiscock Legal Aid Society, Syracuse (Philip Rothschild of Counsel), for Defendant–Appellant.

William J. Fitzpatrick, District Attorney, Syracuse (Misha A. Coulson of Counsel), for Respondent.

MEMORANDUM:

On appeal from an order denying his motion for resentencing pursuant to the 2009 Drug Law Reform Act (CPL 440.46), defendant contends that County Court failed to apprehend that it had discretion to resentence him. That contention is belied by the record, which establishes that the People conceded that defendant was eligible for resentencing but the court concluded that “substantial justice” required denial of defendant's motion.

Contrary to defendant's further contention, “[t]he court properly exercised its discretion in determining that substantial justice dictated that defendant's resentencing application should be denied” (People v. Perez, 110 A.D.3d 528, 528, 972 N.Y.S.2d 553, lv. denied22 N.Y.3d 1043, 981 N.Y.S.2d 376, 4 N.E.3d 388; see People v. Sosa, 18 N.Y.3d 436, 443, 940 N.Y.S.2d 534, 963 N.E.2d 1235). In denying the application, the court considered the facts that defendant absconded prior to trial in this case and was sentenced in absentia, that he remained at large for 17 years, and that he possessed a large quantity of drugs that was inconsistent with street-level sales ( see Perez, 110 A.D.3d at 528, 972 N.Y.S.2d 553). Defendant did not contest the information in the presentence report that he had been arrested on new drug charges in New York City while he was at large, nor did he object to the court's statement that he possessed a handgun at the time of the initial arrest on this matter. Thus, inasmuch “[a]s defendant failed to object at the time of sentencing, the claim that the court considered improper factors in imposing the sentence is unpreserved for [our] review” (People v. Rosado, 300 A.D.2d 838, 840–841, 752 N.Y.S.2d 139, lv.

[992 N.Y.S.2d 653]

denied99 N.Y.2d 619, 757 N.Y.S.2d 830, 787 N.E.2d 1176; see People v. Harrison, 82 N.Y.2d 693, 694, 601 N.Y.S.2d 573, 619 N.E.2d 651; People v. Mathieu, 83 A.D.3d...