People v. Devone

163 Misc. 2d 581, 620 N.Y.S.2d 927, 1994 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 594
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 28, 1994
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 163 Misc. 2d 581 (People v. Devone) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Devone, 163 Misc. 2d 581, 620 N.Y.S.2d 927, 1994 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 594 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1994).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Michael A. Gary, J.

Defendant stands charged with criminal sale of a controlled [582]*582substance in the third degree (Penal Law § 220.39), criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree (Penal Law § 220.03), and the misdemeanor of endangering the welfare of a child (Penal Law § 260.10). He now moves the court pursuant to CPL 210.20 and 210.35 for dismissal of the charges against him on the grounds that the Grand Jury proceeding was defective as he was not accorded an opportunity to exercise his right to testify before the Grand Jury in accordance with the provisions of CPL 190.50. Defendant also moves for dismissal of the indictment pursuant to CPL 210.40 in the furtherance of justice.

Defendant was arrested at the scene, five minutes after an alleged drug sale to an undercover officer, on April 6, 1994 and charged with various drug offenses. The online booking sheet reflects his name as "John Doe”, a/k/a Richard Devone. Defendant’s criminal justice agency sheet is stamped "interview incomplete”. A handwritten note on the form indicates that there were two out-of-county warrants belonging to this defendant before the court. The Criminal Court file, including the complaint, reflects both John Doe and the "a/k/a” of Richard Devone, a name apparently culled from the attached NYSPIN sheet.

Upon defendant’s arraignment in Criminal Court on April 9, 1994, defendant maintained that he was not the person whose "rap” sheet was attached to the docket.

The court has reviewed the minutes of defendant’s arraignment proceeding. There was extensive colloquy between the presiding Judge and the defendant where defendant contended he was William Smith and that the name Richard Devone had been incorrectly ascribed to him. The court then questioned the defendant about his date of birth — which he gave as October 22, 1970. Comparing other pedigree information to the criminal justice agency’s, the Judge inquired of defendant what his Social Security number was. He stated he could not recall what it was. After more discussion, the Judge asked the court clerk/staff and/or the police department to address the issue of the set of fingerprints that were before the court. A police officer informed the Judge that the defendant had refused prints three days prior, claiming his hand hurt. Accordingly, they took prints of only one hand. At the arraignment defendant apparently had bandages on his hands. (When ordered to reprint the defendant, the police officers disclaimed any responsibility for any pain that defendant might suffer or complain of.)

[583]*583At a second call later that evening (though no prints were taken) the court cautioned the defendant that he was going to proceed with the arraignment or, at his option, be referred for a psychiatric examination. Defendant finally relented to be arraigned on the set of fingerprints that was before the court which reflect his name as Richard Devone. Defendant, through his Legal Aid lawyer, served notice upon the District Attorney that he wished to exercise his right to testify before the Grand Jury which would be hearing evidence on his case. Bail was set on this case, as well as the out-of-county warrants, and defendant was remanded to the custody of the Correction Department. The court also ordered that defendant be reprinted by the next court date of April 12.

On the next court appearance in the AP2N felony waiver part, 18-B counsel (County Law art 18-B) was assigned to represent the defendant, apparently because of the conflict presented by the Legal Aid Society’s representation of the apprehended juvenile in this case. Still claiming that he was not Richard Devone, defendant agreed to waive the CPL 180.80 release provision, in order to be fingerprinted. No prints were returned to the court on April 14, and the case was adjourned until April 15 with defendant waiving the CPL 180.80 release provision again. Though the court papers reflect that on April 15 the court was told that prints were unobtainable as the defendant had (new?) cuts on his hand, the court adjourned the case again until April 19 for the defendant to be reprinted and again defendant waived his statutory rights to release under CPL 180.80, along with his speedy trial rights.

Defendant was produced in court on April 19. The court file does not indicate whether any new prints were produced for the court’s inspection, but the court noted that the District Attorney produced a photo from Richard Devone’s last arrest. Defendant now claims that the result of fingerprints allegedly taken on April 12 (and/or April 14) under the name William Smith (appended to his motion as exhibit A) demonstrate that he has no criminal record. (It appears to this court that what defendant is referring to is purely a name check with the NYSID system of the name William Smith, as a black male, with a January 1, 1964 date of birth, and a height of 5 feet, 10 inches.) Nevertheless, the court noted that defendant refused the preindictment plea offer made to him and directed that defendant be taken to testify before the Grand Jury that afternoon.

[584]*584The next annotation on the court file indicates that the People filed a certificate of affirmative Grand Jury action with the court and requested a date of May 3 for arraignment in Supreme Court on the indictment.

The subject of this motion, however, is the allegation that the People, with full knowledge of defendant’s intention to do so, blatantly refused to accord the defendant an opportunity to appear before the Grand Jury. The facts surrounding defendant’s appearance (or nonappearance) are not in dispute. The consequences, of course, are.

Pursuant to CPL 190.45 and 190.50 governing the witness’s appearance before the Grand Jury, the People proffered to defendant a copy of the standard waiver of immunity form, whose completion is an express condition to testifying in the Grand Jury. The People had previously filled out the blank portion of the form with the witness’s name identified as Richard Devone, a/k/a John Doe. The address was left blank, and the charges and date of occurrence were filled in. With counsel present, defendant refused to execute the waiver of immunity form as it had been filled in by the District Attorney, offering instead to execute a waiver of immunity form with the names John Doe, a/k/a William Smith, the name by which he claimed the Department of Correctional Services had him identified in their records. As this "compromise” was unacceptable to the People, defendant refused to sign a waiver of immunity and was not permitted to testify. (All this took place out of the presence of the Grand Jury.)

In his motion alleging a violation of CPL 190.50, defendant claims that had he signed a waiver of immunity form as Richard Devone, his credibility before the Grand Jury would have been undermined, as Richard Devone had a lengthy criminal record. Maintaining he is William Smith, a person with no criminal history, defendant argues that the People’s intransigent position on the waiver coerced his nonappearance. That is, he was forced not to appear because he would have been subjected to the prejudicial effects of being questioned about a criminal history he denies.

Was the failure of the People to accept defendant’s "compromise” regarding the waiver tantamount to a violation of his right to testify pursuant to CPL 190.50?

In the particular circumstances of this case, the court finds that defendant attempted to limit the information the People could elicit at the Grand Jury presentation.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

People v. Jorge
172 Misc. 2d 795 (New York Supreme Court, 1997)
People v. Rocco
229 A.D.2d 599 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1996)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
163 Misc. 2d 581, 620 N.Y.S.2d 927, 1994 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 594, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-devone-nysupct-1994.