Hilts v. State

45 Misc. 2d 59, 256 N.Y.S.2d 253, 1965 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2297
CourtNew York Court of Claims
DecidedFebruary 4, 1965
DocketClaim No. 42260
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 45 Misc. 2d 59 (Hilts v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hilts v. State, 45 Misc. 2d 59, 256 N.Y.S.2d 253, 1965 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2297 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1965).

Opinion

John Cakroll Young, J.

This claim has been filed to recover damages alleged to have been sustained by claimant as the result of his false arrest, false imprisonment and illegal detention by the State of New York, its officers, agents and employees ”, It was timely filed and. has not been assigned or submitted to any other court or tribunal for audit or determination.

Claimant alleges that after he was arrested by a member of the New York State Police under a warrant issued by a Justice of the Peace of the Town of Lenox, Madison County, New York, for violation of subdivision 7 of section 401 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law he was not taken by said officer before a Magistrate as required by section 165 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, but instead was taken directly to the Madison County Jail and there incarcerated and deprived of his liberty for a period of time until he was released on bail.

The proof showed that on December 3, 196-2 while claimant was operating a truck owned by him in the Village of Canastota, Town of Lenox, Madison County, New York, he was given a traffic ticket requiring him to appear on December 5, 1962 at [61]*619:30 a.m before Justice of the Peace Pbbbbtta, of said town at his court on Main Street, Canastota, New York, to answer a charge that his truck had excessive combined weight, a violation of subdivision 7 of section 401 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law. Under said law at said time, a person found guilty of this violation as a first offense was subject to a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $250 or by imprisonment for not more than 30 days or by both such fine and imprisonment.

Claimant appeared before Justice Pbbbbtta in obedience to said traffic ticket; he was advised by said Justice of the amount of such minimum fine in the event he were arraigned and pleaded guilty to the charge. As he did not have in his possession that amount of money available to pay the fine on that date, claimant’s arraignment on the charge was postponed, and he was permitted to leave and was allowed as testified by Justice Pbbbbtta in this case “ 'two or three days ” additional time to raise the money.

All of the evidence indicates that claimant at all times considered himself to be guilty of the offense charged; the information signed by the police officer who issued the traffic ticket states that the combined gross weight of claimant’s vehicle exceeded by 3,240 pounds the maximum gross weight certified on the New York State registration certificate for such vehicle; claimant requested and received from Justice Pbbbbtta extensions of time to obtain the amount of the required fine, and eventually, as hereinafter mentioned, pleaded guilty to the charge. No contention is made herein that claimant was not guilty and it is clear that he desired and intended at all times to plead guilty but his only concern was to obtain time to raise the amount of the minimum fine.

After being granted the “ two or three days ” time above mentioned, claimant later requested and obtained from Justice Pbbbbtta a further extension of ‘ ‘ two or three more days ’ ’ for the same purpose, but he did not appear or pay the fine at the end of the extended period. The Justice of the Peace called on the telephone and gave messages to claimant’s mother that the matter had to be disposed of, but claimant still failed to appear or to produce the required fine. The Justice conferred with the State Police in charge of the matter; several weeks passed and still claimant did not appear or communicate with the court.

On January 15, 1963 a warrant for claimant’s arrest on the charge described in the traffic ticket was issued by Justice Pbbbbtta ; in the lower left-hand corner of this warrant there was placed by Justice Pbbbbtta the legend “ Bail $100 ”. This warrant was in the possession of State Trooper May from on [62]*62or about January 15, 1963 until February 5, 1963 at about 11:00 a.m., when claimant was arrested by Officer May under such warrant on the highway near his home.

This police officer testified that from January 15 to February 5 he had made repeated efforts to serve this warrant on claimant, but had been unable to locate him although he had stopped at claimant’s home and found no one there. Finally, on February 5, 1963 after having again received no response to his knock at claimant’s home, he ostensibly left the premises, but stopped his police car at a point on the highway a short distance away from which he could observe claimant’s house; he stated that shortly thereafter claimant emerged from his house and proceeded onto the highway where he was intercepted by the State Police officer.

After arresting claimant, Officer May permitted him to drive his truck- — followed by the police vehicle — to a farm owned by claimant’s brother, to ascertain whether claimant could obtain from his brother the sum of $100 stated on the face of the warrant as the amount to be required for bail. His brother did not have the $100 to give him but told claimant he would obtain it for him.

Claimant thereupon left his truck at his brother’s farm, entered the police car and was taken to the Madison County Jail at Wampsville, New York, arriving there at about 12:15 p.m. on said February 5, 1963; he was there told by the State Police officer to remove his personal belongings from his pockets and place them on the desk in the jail office, and this officer then turned claimant over to the Madison County Sheriff who caused him to be locked in a cell where he remained until 2:10 p.m. on that day; at that time, his mother brought the sum of $100 to the Madison County Jail and paid it to the Sheriff whose receipt for said amount designating it as bail on said charge of “ infraction excessive combined weight 401-7 V. and T. Law ” was delivered to her with a notation that claimant was to appear February 11, 1963 at 10:00 a.m.

Claimant was thereupon released at 2:10 p.m. on February 5, 1963; this bail money was subsequently on February 7, 1963 forwarded by the Sheriff to Justice Pereetta as bail money.

On February 27, 1963 claimant appeared before Justice Pereetta and pleaded guilty to the charge of violation of said subdivision 7 of section 401 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law, and at the direction of claimant’s mother, the $100 bail money was applied in payment of his fine.

It seems that every possible consideration for claimant’s convenience was exercised by the Justice of the Peace and by the [63]*63police officers to enable claimant to raise the fine required and to avoid embarrassment.

Even after being granted two extensions of time before being arraigned on the charge of which he was guilty, claimant failed to co-operate with the court and attempted to evade the police; prior to his arrest under the warrant, the Justice of the Peace had informed claimant’s mother that the warrant had been issued, but still the claimant failed and neglected to appear voluntarily for arraignment and to pay the fine.

The testimony in this case showed that in instances where a person is arrested by police during hours when no Justice of the Peace is available to conduct an arraignment, the procedure is to hold the person in a “ police lock up ” until the arraignment can be made.

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Bluebook (online)
45 Misc. 2d 59, 256 N.Y.S.2d 253, 1965 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2297, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hilts-v-state-nyclaimsct-1965.