People v. Humphreyville

Decision Date15 August 1966
PartiesThe PEOPLE of the State of New York, Plaintiff, v. Louis HUMPHREYVILLE, Defendant.
CourtNew York County Court

Albert W. Schneider, Dist. Atty., by Henry D. Blumberg, Asst. Dist. Atty., Herkimer, of counsel, for the People.

John J. Bono, Frankfort, for defendant.

EDMUND A. McCARTHY, Judge.

On June 18, 1966, the defendant was convicted on a plea of a charge of reckless driving and his license was revoked.

The affidavit of errors challenges the jurisdiction of the Court of Special Sessions, also the right to revoke defendant's license, and failure to properly be advised.

It would seem that the alleged violation of reckless driving occurred in the Village of Middleville, Herkimer County. This village has a Police Justice, duly elected, and the Town of Fairfield, in which the village is located, has a Justice of the Peace, but the village does not have an Acting Police Justice. On June 18, 1966, neither the Police Justice of the Village of Middleville or the Town Justice of the Town of Fairfield were available. In an attempt to follow the provisions of Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the defendant, who was arrested without a warrant, was taken before the nearest or most accessible magistrate for an arraignment. The officer was also trying to comply with Section 165 of the Code concerning unnecessary delay.

However, this violation, having taken place in the Village of Middleville, comes under the provisions of the Village Law, Section 182, which gives the Village Court exclusive criminal jurisdiction of any misdemeanor committed within the village. Section 187 provides for the Acting Police Justice and his powers and liabilities. It would seem that when the Police Justice of the Village and the Acting Police Justice, if any, are not available, then the defendant may be taken before a Justice of the Peace of the town in which a portion of the village may be. But the arresting officer can go no farther. This is a peculiarity of village violation as contrasted with the other provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure concerning accessible magistrates.

It would, therefore, appear that the Court of Special Sessions, Town of Salisbury, was without jurisdiction and that this was exclusively a Police Court matter of the Village of Middleville and of a Justice of the Peace of the Town of Fairfield, and there it should have been handled.

Because of want of jurisdiction, the judgment...

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3 cases
  • People v. Mulligan
    • United States
    • New York District Court
    • August 26, 1970
    ...a police justice court in session, as Village Law, Section 182 vests jurisdiction exclusively in the latter court, People v. Humphreyville, 51 Misc.2d 359, 273 N.Y.S.2d 209; People v. Tanner, 208 Misc. 681, 144 N.Y.S.2d In People v. Kramer, 10 Misc.2d 473, 175 N.Y.S.2d 508 the Nassau County......
  • People v. Feldman
    • United States
    • New York Justice Court
    • August 22, 1966
  • People v. Roberto
    • United States
    • New York District Court
    • June 26, 1970
    ...try a criminal charge which was committed outside the territorial jurisdiction of the court (Village Law Sec. 182; People v. Humphreyville, 51 Misc.2d 359, 273 N.Y.S.2d 209; People v. Mulner's Tavern, 157 Misc. 227, 283 N.Y.S. It is only if there is a distinction between a Magistrate's powe......

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