People v. Grimes

• Decision Date: 13 November 2015
• Parties: The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Jakim GRIMES, Defendant–Appellant.
• Court: New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

133 A.D.3d 1201

20 N.Y.S.3d 261

The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent,

v.Jakim GRIMES, Defendant–Appellant.

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

Nov. 13, 2015.

Frank H. Hiscock Legal Aid Society, Syracuse (Philip Rothschild of Counsel), for Defendant–Appellant.

William J. Fitzpatrick, District Attorney, Syracuse (James P. Maxwell of Counsel), for Respondent.

PRESENT: CENTRA, J.P., PERADOTTO, LINDLEY, WHALEN, AND DeJOSEPH, JJ.

MEMORANDUM:

Defendant appeals from a judgment convicting him upon his plea of guilty of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree (Penal Law § 220.16[1] ) and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree (§ 220.09[1] ). The charges arose from an incident in which police officers detected the odor of marihuana emanating from a vehicle they had stopped for a traffic violation. Defendant, a passenger in that vehicle, was searched and found to possess narcotics.

We reject defendant's contention that the police lacked probable cause to stop the vehicle. It is well settled that a traffic stop is lawful where "a police officer has probable cause to believe that the driver of an automobile has committed a traffic violation" (People v. Robinson, 97 N.Y.2d 341, 349, 741 N.Y.S.2d 147, 767 N.E.2d 638 ; see Whren v. United States, 517 U.S. 806, 810, 116 S.Ct. 1769, 135 L.Ed.2d 89 ). Here, the police had probable cause to stop the vehicle because they observed the driver pull his car into traffic from its parked position at the curb without using a turn signal (see Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1163[a], [d] ; People v. Hawkins, 45 A.D.3d 989, 991, 845 N.Y.S.2d 171, lv. denied 9 N.Y.3d 1034, 852 N.Y.S.2d 20, 881 N.E.2d 1207 ).

Contrary to defendant's further contention, the police had probable cause to search his person inasmuch as "[t]he odor of marihuana emanating from a vehicle, when detected by an officer qualified by training and experience to recognize it, is sufficient to constitute probable cause to search a vehicle and its occupants" (People v. Cuffie, 109 A.D.3d 1200, 1201, 972 N.Y.S.2d 383, lv. denied 22 N.Y.3d 1087, 981 N.Y.S.2d 673, 4 N.E.3d 975 [internal quotation marks omitted]; see People v. Virges, 118 A.D.3d 1445, 1445–1446, 987 N.Y.S.2d 783 ). We reject defendant's contention that the odor of unburned marihuana could not serve as the basis for the search (see People v. Walker, 128 A.D.3d 1499, 1500, 8 N.Y.S.3d 826, lv. denied 26 N.Y.3d 936, 17 N.Y.S.3d 99, 38 N.E.3d 845 ).

Defendant further contends that the search and seizure were illegal because the police officers tailored their testimony to establish probable cause to stop the vehicle. That contention is not preserved for our review (see People v. Estivarez, 122 A.D.3d 1292, 1292, 995 N.Y.S.2d 426 ), and it is without merit in any event. The credibility determinations of the hearing court are entitled to great deference and will not be disturbed unless clearly unsupported by the record, which is not the case here (see People v. Ponzo, 111 A.D.3d 1347, 1347, 975 N.Y.S.2d 274 ).

Defendant contends that Supreme Court failed to make a proper finding of a prior felony conviction pursuant to CPL 400.21 inasmuch as the court failed to ask him whether he wanted to controvert any of the allegations set forth in the CPL 400.21 statement. That contention is not preserved for our review (see People v. Pellegrino, 60 N.Y.2d 636, 637, 467 N.Y.S.2d 355, 454 N.E.2d 938 ; People v. Butler, 96 A.D.3d 1367, 1368, 946 N.Y.S.2d 343 ), and is without merit in any event. Defendant admitted the prior felony conviction in open court during the plea hearing and, thus, he waived strict compliance with CPL 400.21 (see People v. Vega, 49 A.D.3d 1185, 1186, 852 N.Y.S.2d 910, lv. denied

10 N.Y.3d 965, 863 N.Y.S.2d 149, 893 N.E.2d 455 ). Moreover, although the court did not formally ask defendant whether he wished to controvert any of the allegations set forth in the CPL 400.21 statement, the record establishes that defendant had an opportunity to do so (see People v. Hughes, 28 A.D.3d 1185, 1185, 813 N.Y.S.2d 835, lv....