People v. Gomez

30 Misc. 3d 643
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 7, 2010
StatusPublished

This text of 30 Misc. 3d 643 (People v. Gomez) 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. Gomez, 30 Misc. 3d 643 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2010).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Miriam R. Best, J.

Defendants are charged in a single accusatory instrument with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child (Penal Law § 260.10 [1]). Defendant Gomez now moves this court to dismiss the information as facially insufficient, pursuant to CPL 100.40. He also moves to dismiss the charges against him [645]*645pursuant to CPL 30.30 (1) (b) and 170.30 (1) (e). Defendant Crespo has joined in these applications. For the reasons that follow, the motion to dismiss is denied.

Facial Sufficiency

The complaint alleges that on January 15, 2010, at approximately 9:15 a.m., at an address in Bronx County:

“Deponent [Police Officer Nilsa Martinez] states that, at the above time and place, she observed defendants acting in concert in that defendant CRE-SPO was inside the bedroom of said location and defendant GOMEZ was lying on the bed inside the living room of said location.
“Deponent further states that she observed E.G. (DOB 6/5/05) and J.G (DOB 3/19/07) in the alleyway behind the abovementioned location underneath the window of said location. Deponent further states that she observed E.G. in a light sleeveless dress wearing no shoes or socks. Deponent further states that she observed J.G. dressed in a wet t-shirt wearing no diapers, socks or shoes. Deponent further states that she observed on the ground near them (1) comforter, one (1) pillow and one (1) black leather jacket.
“Deponent further states that she observed the gateway door of the alley to be locked and the security guard of the abovementioned window to be open.
“Deponent further states that inside the abovementioned location, she observed E.C. (DOB 4/2/09) inside a crib in the bedroom of said location. Deponent further states that said crib [sic] near an open window. Deponent further states that E.C. was wearing solely a heavily soiled diaper and was cold.
“Deponent further states that she observed the apartment to be in disarray with clothes and toys all over the apartment.”

Defendants move to dismiss the accusatory instrument because the People did not establish that the three children named in it were less than 17 years old, as required by the statute. Defendants argue that the dates of birth noted in parentheses next to each child’s name are hearsay which has never been converted. Defendants also argue that, because more than 90 chargeable days have passed since their arraignment, this case [646]*646should be dismissed because the People have never had a legally sufficient information on which to proceed to trial.

The People do not address the hearsay claim regarding the dates of birth of the children, but argue instead that the complaint sufficiently establishes that the three children are under 17 years old based upon the firsthand observations of Officer Martinez. The People also claim that, if there is a defect in the charging document, they have enough speedy trial time left to fix it.

Amalysis of the Facial Insufficiency Claim

To be sufficient on its face, a misdemeanor information must contain factual allegations of an evidentiary character demonstrating reasonable cause to believe the defendant committed the offenses charged. (CPL 100.15 [3]; 100.40 [1] [b]; 70.10.) These facts must be supported by nonhearsay allegations which, if true, establish every element of the offense. (CPL 100.40 [1] [c].) This requirement, the “prima facie case” requirement— that the factual part establish every element of the offense charged — applies only to informations. This is because the information is the sole instrument upon which a defendant is prosecuted for a misdemeanor or petty offense. (People v Kalin, 12 NY3d 225, 229-230 [2009].) An information which fails to satisfy these requirements is jurisdictionally defective. (CPL 170.30, 170.35; People v Alejandro, 70 NY2d 133, 136-137 [1987]; People v Dumas, 68 NY2d 729 [1986].) However, “[s]o long as the factual allegations of an information give an accused notice sufficient to prepare a defense and are adequately detailed to prevent a defendant from being tried twice for the same offense, they should be given a fair and not overly restrictive or technical reading.” (People v Casey, 95 NY2d 354, 360 [2000] [citations omitted].) The Court of Appeals has repeatedly emphasized that the

“ ‘prima face case requirement [for a misdemeanor information] is not the same as the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt required at trial . . . , nor does it rise to the level of legally sufficient evidence that is necessary to survive a motion to dismiss based on the proof presented at trial.’ ” (People v Kalin, 12 NY3d at 230 [citations omitted].)

Endangering the welfare of a child requires that a person “knowingly act[ ] in a manner likely to be injurious to the physical, mental or moral welfare of a child less than seventeen [647]*647years old” (Penal Law § 260.10 [1]). Defendants do not claim that the allegations in the accusatory instrument are legally insufficient, in the sense of omitting a necessary element of the crime, but instead argue that the accusatory instrument contains hearsay that has not been converted. This is so, according to defendants, because Officer Martinez was not present when the three children were born and otherwise has no firsthand knowledge of their dates of birth.

It is black letter law that an information must set forth “non-hearsay allegations which, if true, establish every element of the offense charged and the defendant’s commission thereof” (People v Kalin, 12 NY3d at 228-229 [citations omitted]). On its face, the complaint appears to be a first-party complaint based entirely upon Officer Martinez’s observations. However, as defendants correctly argue, the People do not state how Officer Martinez learned the ages of the children, nor do they allege that Officer Martinez had any other personal relationship with them. The People simply listed the respective dates of birth in parentheses next to each child’s name, in a clear effort to establish an essential element of the crime, specifically, that each child was younger than 17 years old. Had the People served and filed copies of the children’s birth certificates to convert this hearsay, this would have been sufficient. But merely stating the three children’s dates of birth without citing any source for that information is insufficient to convert a criminal complaint to an information (People v Perez, 22 Misc 3d 1105[A], 2009 NY Slip Op 50021[U], *7 [Crim Ct, NY County 2009] [allegation by deponent police officer of dates of birth of subject children was hearsay, since police officer was not present at complainants’ birth and had no firsthand knowledge of their birthdays; complaint not properly converted to an information]; People v Mercado, 184 Misc 2d 40 [Crim Ct, Bronx County 2000] [complaint not converted to an information where complaint included the dates of birth of subject children without citing any source for that information]).

The People claim that, even without reference to the dates of birth, the complaint sufficiently establishes that the three children were younger than 17 years old because Officer Martinez observed items that are “clear labels of infancy,” specifically diapers and a crib. In support of this claim, the People rely on People v Kousar

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Related

People v. Casey
740 N.E.2d 233 (New York Court of Appeals, 2000)
People v. England
636 N.E.2d 1387 (New York Court of Appeals, 1994)
People v. Kalin
906 N.E.2d 381 (New York Court of Appeals, 2009)
People v. Kendzia
476 N.E.2d 287 (New York Court of Appeals, 1985)
People v. Dumas
497 N.E.2d 686 (New York Court of Appeals, 1986)
People v. Santos
501 N.E.2d 19 (New York Court of Appeals, 1986)
People v. Alejandro
511 N.E.2d 71 (New York Court of Appeals, 1987)
People v. Pierre
8 A.D.3d 201 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2004)
People v. Delacruz
241 A.D.2d 328 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1997)
People v. Gonzalez
266 A.D.2d 562 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1999)
People v. Seward
173 Misc. 2d 1020 (Mount Vernon City Court, 1997)
People v. Brooks
190 Misc. 2d 247 (Appellate Terms of the Supreme Court of New York, 2001)
People v. Cenat
176 Misc. 2d 39 (Criminal Court of the City of New York, 1997)
People v. Quiles
179 Misc. 2d 59 (Criminal Court of the City of New York, 1998)
People v. Mercado
184 Misc. 2d 40 (Criminal Court of the City of New York, 2000)
People v. Khachiyan
194 Misc. 2d 161 (Criminal Court of the City of New York, 2002)

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Bluebook (online)
30 Misc. 3d 643, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-gomez-nysupct-2010.