People v. Wheeler

• Decision Date: 05 October 2012
• Citation: 2012 N.Y. Slip Op. 06661,951 N.Y.S.2d 791,99 A.D.3d 1168
• Parties: The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Matthew WHEELER, Defendant–Appellant.
• Court: New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

99 A.D.3d 1168

951 N.Y.S.2d 791

2012 N.Y. Slip Op. 06661

The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent,

v.Matthew WHEELER, Defendant–Appellant.

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

Oct. 5, 2012.

Kathleen P. Reardon, Rochester, for Defendant–Appellant.

Matthew Wheeler, Defendant–Appellant Pro Se.

Sandra Doorley, District Attorney, Rochester (Matthew Dunham of Counsel), for Respondent.

PRESENT: SCUDDER, P.J., SMITH, CENTRA, FAHEY, AND PERADOTTO, JJ.

MEMORANDUM:

Defendant was convicted, upon his plea of guilty, of sexual abuse in the first degree (Penal Law § 130.65[3] ), for having subjected a five-year-old girl to sexual contact by rubbing her buttocks for his own sexual gratification. Defendant was sentenced to a split sentence of incarceration and probation and was subsequently adjudicated a level three sex offender ( see People v. Wheeler, 59 A.D.3d 1007, 872 N.Y.S.2d 360,lv. denied12 N.Y.3d 711, 2009 WL 1309378). Pursuant to condition No. 5 of his probation, defendant is required to obtain “suitable employment” or “pursue a course of study or vocational training.” Pursuant to condition No. 16 of his probation, which was imposed based on his status as a sex offender, defendant is not permitted to “own, possess or have under [his] control items deemed by the probation officer or treatment provider to be pornographic or sexually stimulating.”

During defendant's period of probation, defendant's probation officer and other members of the probation department conducted a search of defendant's home. During the search, the probation officers discovered a laptop computer with 113 images of prepubescent girls in various explicit poses and stages of undress stored therein (images). Defendant's probation officer filed an information for delinquency alleging that defendant violated condition No. 16 of his probation based on defendant's possession of the images on his computer. The officer also alleged that defendant violated condition No. 5 of his probation based on his failureto be suitably employed or enrolled in school. Following a hearing, Supreme Court determined that defendant violated his probation, revoked his probation and sentenced him to a determinate term of incarceration. Defendant appeals. All of the contentions addressed herein are contained in defendant's main brief unless otherwise noted.

“A violation of probation proceeding is summary in nature and a sentence of probation may be revoked if the defendant has been afforded an opportunity to be heard” ( People v. Perna, 74 A.D.3d 1807, 1807, 902 N.Y.S.2d 870,lv. denied17 N.Y.3d 716, 2011 WL 5526457 [internal quotation marks omitted]; see People v. DeMarco, 60 A.D.3d 1107, 1108, 875 N.Y.S.2d 602). The People are required to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that defendant violated the terms and conditions of his probation ( seeCPL 410.70[3]; People v. Pringle, 72 A.D.3d 1629, 1629, 900 N.Y.S.2d 215,lv. denied15 N.Y.3d 855, 909 N.Y.S.2d 32, 935 N.E.2d 824;People v. Bergman, 56 A.D.3d 1225, 1225, 866 N.Y.S.2d 918,lv. denied12 N.Y.3d 756, 876 N.Y.S.2d 707, 904 N.E.2d 844), and “the decision to revoke his probation will not be disturbed, [absent a] ‘clear abuse of discretion’ ” ( People v. Barber, 280 A.D.2d 691, 694, 720 N.Y.S.2d 223,lv. denied96 N.Y.2d 825, 729 N.Y.S.2d 445, 754 N.E.2d 205;see Bergman, 56 A.D.3d at 1225, 866 N.Y.S.2d 918).

Defendant contends in his main and pro se supplemental briefs that the People failed to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that he violated condition No. 5 ( see People v. Garner, 56 A.D.3d 951, 952, 868 N.Y.S.2d 332,lv. denied12 N.Y.3d 783, 879 N.Y.S.2d 60, 906 N.E.2d 1094;People v. Green, 255 A.D.2d 923, 923, 680 N.Y.S.2d 781,lv. denied93 N.Y.2d 853, 688 N.Y.S.2d 500, 710 N.E.2d 1099;see generally Bergman, 56 A.D.3d at 1225, 866 N.Y.S.2d 918). That contention lacks merit. We defer to the court's determination crediting the testimony of defendant's probation officer, who testified that defendant failed to obtain “suitable employment” or “pursue a course of study or vocational training” despite his ability to do so ( see Perna, 74 A.D.3d at 1807, 902 N.Y.S.2d 870;DeMarco, 60 A.D.3d at 1108, 875 N.Y.S.2d 602).

Defendant further contends in his main and pro se supplemental briefs that the court erred in refusing to suppress the evidence recovered by the probation officers when they searched his home and computer. We reject that contention. While on probation, a defendant still retains the constitutional right to be free from “unreasonable searches and seizures” ( People v. Huntley, 43 N.Y.2d 175, 181, 401 N.Y.S.2d 31, 371 N.E.2d 794;see People v. Hale, 93 N.Y.2d 454, 459, 692 N.Y.S.2d 649, 714 N.E.2d 861). Nevertheless, pursuant to a condition of his probation, defendant consented to warrantless searches by probation officers of, inter alia, his home in order for those officers to monitor his compliance with the conditions of his probation, and defendant further consented to “seizures of any items found to be in violation” of those conditions ( see Hale, 93 N.Y.2d at 460, 692 N.Y.S.2d 649, 714 N.E.2d 861). Condition No. 16 of his probation, which as noted prohibits defendant from owning, possessing or having under his control “pornographic” or “sexually stimulating” items, was “individually tailored” to defendant's underlying sex offense and “reasonably related” to his rehabilitation and supervision ( id. at 462, 692 N.Y.S.2d 649, 714 N.E.2d 861;see People v. Wahl, 302 A.D.2d 976, 976, 755 N.Y.S.2d 537,lv. denied99 N.Y.2d 659, 760 N.Y.S.2d 124, 790 N.E.2d 298;People v. Schunk, 269 A.D.2d 857, 857, 703 N.Y.S.2d 768). “As such, [those conditions] provided an appropriate basis for the search and seizureof [defendant's home and computer]” ( Hale, 93 N.Y.2d at 462, 692 N.Y.S.2d 649, 714 N.E.2d 861). Further, the record establishes that defendant violated the terms of his probation on two prior occasions by failing to participate in a sex offender treatment program, and we thus conclude that the decision of defendant's probation officer to search his home and computer was “ ‘rationallyand reasonably related to the performance of the [probation] officer's duty’ ” to monitor the terms of defendant's probation ( People v. Johnson, 49 A.D.3d 1244, 1245, 854 N.Y.S.2d 609,lv. denied10 N.Y.3d 865, 860 N.Y.S.2d 491, 890 N.E.2d 254, quoting Huntley, 43 N.Y.2d at 181, 401 N.Y.S.2d 31, 371 N.E.2d 794;see Hale, 93 N.Y.2d at 462, 692 N.Y.S.2d 649, 714 N.E.2d 861).

Defendant also contends that the term “sexually stimulating” as used in condition No. 16 is unconstitutionally vague and unenforceable. Preliminarily, we note that defendant does not challenge the term “pornographic” as used in that condition as being unconstitutionally vague and unenforceable. Consequently, even assuming, arguendo, that the term “sexually stimulating” is unconstitutionally vague, we conclude that reversal is not required because, as discussed infra, the court properly determined that the images were pornographic in nature and thus condition No. 16 is enforceable ( see People v. Tucker, 302 A.D.2d 752, 753, 757 N.Y.S.2d 117). In any event, we conclude that the term “sexually stimulating” as used in condition No. 16 “is sufficiently explicit to inform a reasonable person of the conduct to be avoided” and therefore is not unconstitutionally vague ( id.;see People v. York, 2 A.D.3d 1158, 1160, 770 N.Y.S.2d 169;People v. Howland, 108 A.D.2d 1019, 1020, 485 N.Y.S.2d 589;see generally People v. Stuart, 100 N.Y.2d 412, 420–421, 765 N.Y.S.2d 1, 797 N.E.2d 28). Given the nature of defendant's underlying sex offense and his status as a level three sex offender, we conclude that defendant could not have reasonably believed that his possession of the images, which depict prepubescent females in various states of undress and sexually suggestive poses, was permitted by condition No. 16 ( see People v. Bologna, 67 A.D.2d 1004, 1004, 413 N.Y.S.2d 739;see also Farrell v. Burke, 449 F.3d 470, 491;see generally Stuart, 100 N.Y.2d at 420–421, 765 N.Y.S.2d 1, 797 N.E.2d 28).

Defendant next contends that the images are not “pornographic” or “sexually stimulating” and that the People thus failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that he violated condition No. 16 ( seeCPL 410.70[3]; Pringle, 72 A.D.3d at 1629, 900 N.Y.S.2d 215;Bergman, 56 A.D.3d at 1225, 866 N.Y.S.2d 918). We reject that contention, although we note in any event that sufficient evidence of the violation of condition No. 5 alone provided a proper basis for the court to conclude that defendant violated his probation. Here, because the images depicted children, we must consider the definition of “child pornography” in resolving the issue whether the images are “pornographic.” In determining whether the images were “pornographic,” the court considered the federal definition of the term “child pornography,” and we agree that federal law provides guidance under these circumstances ( see generally People v. Horner, 300 A.D.2d 841, 842–843, 752 N.Y.S.2d 147).Federal law provides that “the lascivious exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of a minor constitutes child pornography” ( United States v. Hill, 459 F.3d 966, 969 n. 2,cert. denied549 U.S. 1299, 127 S.Ct. 1863, 167 L.Ed.2d 353;see18 USC § 2256[2][B][iii]; [8] ). The question whether a visual depiction of a minor constitutes a “lascivious exhibition of the genitals or pubic area” is determined by consideration of the following factors: “1) whether the focal point of the visual depiction is on the child's genitalia or pubic area; 2) whether the setting of the visual depiction is sexually suggestive, i.e., in a place or pose generally associated with sexual activity; 3) whether the child is depicted in an unnatural pose, or in inappropriate attire, considering the age of the child; 4) whether the child is fully or partially clothed,...