People v. Jacob

161 Misc. 2d 768, 615 N.Y.S.2d 601, 1994 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 301
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedMay 20, 1994
StatusPublished

This text of 161 Misc. 2d 768 (People v. Jacob) 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. Jacob, 161 Misc. 2d 768, 615 N.Y.S.2d 601, 1994 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 301 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1994).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Michael Curci, J.

The People move to resubmit the matter at bar to another Grand Jury (CPL 190.75 [3]).

In deciding the People’s application, the court considered [769]*769the People’s motion papers, defendant’s opposition papers and the minutes of the proceedings before the Grand Jury.

The facts as adduced before the original Grand Jury are as follows:

On January 28, 1993 at approximately 12:45 p.m., Donna Shapiro was crossing Avenue Z at the intersection of Nostrand Avenue when a blue Datsun automobile driven by defendant struck her. The impact caused Ms. Shapiro’s body to be tossed into the air and land on the pavement. A witness at the scene found her unconscious and bleeding from her nose, ears, mouth and from the side of her head.

A witness testified that defendant’s vehicle proceeded through a red light just prior to striking Ms. Shapiro.

The first police officer to arrive at the scene, Officer Belizario, indicated that upon his arrival and observation of defendant, he detected the odor of alcohol on defendant’s breath and observed that defendant’s activities indicated alcohol consumption. Officer Poveromo, the second officer, made similar observations. In a statement to Poveromo, defendant admitted to consuming two 12-ounce cans of beer between 11:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. the morning of the accident, and having had only one hour of sleep the night before.

Shortly after the incident, at approximately 2:20 p.m., Police Officer Lippert of the Highway Unit administered a "breathalyzer test” to defendant. The result of the breathalyzer was a .13 of 1% blood-alcohol content, in excess of the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle.

Police Officer Richard Pepe of the New York State Police Department Accident Investigation Unit tested the skid marks made by defendant’s automobile and determined that he was traveling no less than 40 miles per hour upon a thoroughfare where the speed limit is 30 miles per hour.

An examination by Officer Pepe of the interior of defendant’s vehicle yielded two beer cans (one empty, the other unopened) along with a bottle of rum which had been previously opened and whose outside was wet with alcohol.

Defendant testified before the Grand Jury and indicated that he was traveling northbound on Nostrand Avenue and was proceeding through the intersection of Nostrand and Avenue Z. Defendant testified that the traffic signal was green and that a woman crossed against the light. Defendant further indicated that he applied the brakes and insisted that the woman "accidentally walked into the car.”

[770]*770Defendant confirmed that he consumed two 12-ounce beers approximately 45 minutes before the accident but denied knowledge of the empty beer can and open bottle of rum found in the vehicle. Defendant insisted he was traveling at a speed of 30 to 35 miles per hour at the time of the accident.

A medical report concerning injuries suffered by Donna Shapiro was read into the record before the Grand Jury. The report indicated that Shapiro suffered "multiple fractures to her ribs, legs, and blood from both ears.”

On February 5, 1993 the Grand Jury was charged on the law by the prosecutrix. Assault in the second degree, vehicular assault in the second degree, reckless endangerment in the second degree and two counts of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (DWI) were submitted for the Grand Jury’s consideration. The Grand Jury voted no true bill as to all but the two DWI counts, and directed the prosecutrix to file an information as to those counts.

On March 4, 1993, Donna Shapiro died, allegedly as a result of the injuries suffered on January 28, 1993 after having been struck by defendant’s car.

RESUBMISSION

When charges presented to a Grand Jury are dismissed by the Grand Jury, they may not be resubmitted unless the court, in its discretion, authorizes the People to resubmit the charges to the same or another Grand Jury (see, People v Martin, 71 AD2d 928; CPL 190.75 [3]).

Where resubmission is requested by the People, the court should not automatically accede to such request unless new evidence has been discovered since the prior submission or there is some irregularity or impropriety at the Grand Jury (see, People v Dykes, 86 AD2d 191, 195; People v Martin, 71 AD2d 928, supra).

As observed by the Second Department in Dykes (supra, at 195): "In a very real sense the Grand Jury may be said to represent the 'common sense’ or consensus of the entire community. (See People v Neidhart, 35 Misc 191, 192.) It is empowered, indeed required, to dismiss a charge that a designated person committed a crime if the evidence before it is not legally sufficient to establish that such person committed such crime or other offense, or it 'is not satisfied’ that there is reasonable cause to believe that such person committed such crime or any other offense. (CPL 190.75, subd 1.) The dismissal [771]*771of a charge by the Grand Jurors after a full hearing, such as took place in this case, must be taken as establishing as a fact that the evidence was not of sufficient credible worth to warrant a prosecution and should not be presented to a petit jury. Such a finding by the Grand Jury is justly entitled to great weight and prosecutors and Judges are not privileged to substitute their judgment for that of the Grand Jury. Indeed, a determination by the Grand Jury that the evidence before it does not warrant an indictment should end the matter and there should not be a resubmission unless it appears, for example, that new evidence has been discovered since the former submission; that the Grand Jury failed to give the case a complete and impartial investigation; or that there is a basis for believing that the Grand Jury otherwise acted in an irregular manner. (See People v Martin, 71 AD2d 928, supra; People v Groh, 97 Misc 2d 894; People v Dziegiel, 140 Misc 145, 146; People v Neidhart, supra)” (emphasis added).

There is no claim asserted that the Grand Jury failed to give the case a complete and impartial investigation or acted in an "irregular manner”.

The "new” evidence put forth by the People in support of their application for resubmission consists simply of the death of the victim Donna Shapiro from the injuries suffered after having been struck by defendant’s automobile.

Although defendant does not identify it as such in his papers, he opposes resubmission by arguing that the first Grand Jury’s determination regarding the assault and reckless endangerment charges should be given preclusive effect and prevent the People from relitigating the issues. In essence, defendant is urging the court to apply the doctrine of collateral estoppel or "issue preclusion” to prevent the People from relitigating the issues presented to and rejected by the first Grand Jury.

A "Grand Jury’s decision not to return an indictment on the ground of insufficient legal evidence does not contain the finality requisite to the application of the doctrine of collateral estoppel” (People ex rel. Pickett v Ruffo, 96 AD2d 128, 130, citing Matter of McGrath v Gold, 36 NY2d 406). This is so because a Grand Jury’s decision not to indict is not a final determination that the acts alleged did not in fact occur (supra).

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Bluebook (online)
161 Misc. 2d 768, 615 N.Y.S.2d 601, 1994 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 301, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-jacob-nysupct-1994.