People v. Cunningham

97 Misc. 2d 618, 411 N.Y.S.2d 963, 1978 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2845
CourtNew York County Courts
DecidedNovember 22, 1978
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 97 Misc. 2d 618 (People v. Cunningham) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York County Courts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Cunningham, 97 Misc. 2d 618, 411 N.Y.S.2d 963, 1978 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2845 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1978).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Edward M. Horey, J.

On February 4, 1978, the defendant was operating a snowmobile on rural Rush Creek Road, in the Town of Rushford, Allegany County, New York. At approximately 2:35 in the afternoon he was stopped by one Allen Mills, an Environmental Conservation Officer, for a registration check. The defendant was unable to produce a registration for the snowmobile. He was also unable to produce proof of insurance for that vehicle.

When asked by the arresting officer to identify himself, the defendant gave the name of "Edward Smith”. Another individual, operating a snowmobile in the area, identified the defendant to Officer Mills to be one "Edward Cunningham”. Officer Mills immediately placed the defendant under arrest for the traffic infraction of operating an unregistered motor vehicle. Officer Mills then made a request by radio for data on the snowmobile.

Receiving information that the snowmobile was stolen, Officer Mills placed the defendant’s wrists in handcuffs behind the defendant’s back and put the defendant in the officer’s automobile.

Producing a yellow card, Officer Mills commenced to read the Miranda warnings printed thereon to the defendant. After advising the defendant only that he had the right to remain silent, the Miranda admonitions were interrupted by radio messages from and to nearby police officers. The radio messages concluded, Officer Mills then commenced to read the Miranda warnings again to the defendant. This time, however, he read from a printed white card the four warnings which appeared on the front of that card. Questions to be addressed to the defendant covering waiver of rights that appear on the back of the white card were not read. Neither was any advice concerning the waiver of right to remain silent or to the [621]*621presence of an attorney, or otherwise, put to the defendant. Immediately, Officer Mills commenced to interrogate the defendant. The interrogation continued to the point when Officer Mills asked the defendant why he had given the named Edward Smith. In response, the defendant stated it was because he thought the snowmobile was stolen.

At about this time a Sergeant McCole of the New York State Police arrived at the scene of the arrest. Officer Mills told Sergeant McCole that the snowmobile had been reported stolen and that the defendant had given a false identification. He also advised that the defendant was under arrest for an unregistered vehicle. Custody of the defendant was given to Sergeant McCole and he departed with the defendant in his vehicle. Officer Mills testified that he knew that the defendant was not being taken by Sergeant McCole for arraignment, but rather for interrogation at the auxiliary office of the State Police in the Village of Fillmore.

Sergeant McCole did not place the defendant under arrest for possession of stolen property, or for any crime or offense. Traveling only a short distance, Sergeant McCole met another State Police motor vehicle. This vehicle was being operated by Sergeant Mulryan. Because Sergeant McCole had other duties, he delivered custody of the defendant to Sergeant Mulryan after engaging in a conversation with Sergeant Mulryan out of the presence of the defendant.

Sergeant Mulryan testified that he did not place the defendant under arrest. He merely transported the defendant to the auxiliary office of the State Police in Fillmore where he held a conversation with an Investigator Schroeder of the State Police. This conversation was out of the presence of the defendant.

An interrogation of the defendant was conducted by Investigator Schroeder with Investigator Evans and Sergeant Mulryan present. This interrogation was preceded by careful advice on the part of Investigator Schroeder of all Miranda warnings. An oral and subsequent written statement by the defendant that he waived his constitutional rights in reference to remaining silent and the right to have an attorney present was made. During the interrogation by Investigator Schroeder, Officer Mills appeared at the police barracks. He spoke with Investigator Evans out of the presence of the defendant and remained present throughout a portion of the interrogation. This interrogation led to the signing of a written confession [622]*622that the defendant was guilty of the crime of possessing stolen property. It was Sergeant Mulryan’s testimony that the defendant had been placed in State Police custody in regard to possession of a stolen snowmobile and not on the charge of operating an unregistered vehicle.

The transport of the defendant from the place of arrest to the auxiliary office of the State Police took approximately one-half hour. The defendant signed a written confession at approximately 5:30 in the afternoon. It was then that Officer Mills presented the defendant with two traffic tickets, one charging operation of an unregistered motor vehicle and the other charging operation of a vehicle without insurance. The defendant was arraigned on an information charging the crime of criminal possession of stolen property in the second degree in violation of subdivision 1 of section 165.45 of the Penal Law.

The defendant has moved to have the oral admission made to Officer Mills, and the subsequent written confession made to Investigator Schroeder suppressed. An extended Huntley hearing was held before this court over portions of four successive days.

The first issue raised by the defendant relates to the delay attending his arraignment.

CPL 140.20 (subd 1) provides in relevant part as follows: "Upon arresting a person without a warrant, a police officer, after performing without unnecessary delay all recording, fingerprinting and other preliminary police duties required in the particular case, must except as otherwise provided in this section, without unnecessary delay bring the arrested person or cause him to be brought before a local criminal court and file therewith an appropriate accusatory instrument charging him with the offense or offenses in question.”

It is noted that the provisions of CPL 140.20 (subd 1) require that an officer making an arrest without a warrant must bring the arrestee before a local criminal court having jurisdiction "without unnecessary delay”.

There is only one qualification to the time provision contained in the statute. After arrest, the mandated arraignment without unnecessary delay may be suspended for such time as is necessary for the arresting officer to perform "all recording, fingerprinting and other preliminary police duties required in the particular case”.

[623]*623A judicial construction to the qualifying language stated in CPL 140.20 (subd 1) does not appear to have yet been made. Since it is material and relevant to the case at bar, this court now construes it. The construction made is that a delay to the earliest arraignment of a defendant as a consequence of recording information, or fingerprinting the defendant, or performing other preliminary police duties, to be authorized, must be based upon a requirement for those acts. The statutory language does not mean, as the District Attorney contends, that the matter of the earliest arraignment is properly left in every instance to the whim and caprice of the officer making an arrest without a warrant.

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Related

Informal Opinion No.
New York Attorney General Reports, 1983
In re Robert M.
99 Misc. 2d 462 (New York Supreme Court, 1979)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
97 Misc. 2d 618, 411 N.Y.S.2d 963, 1978 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2845, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-cunningham-nycountyct-1978.