People v. Kulk

103 A.D.3d 1038, 962 N.Y.S.2d 408
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedFebruary 28, 2013
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 103 A.D.3d 1038 (People v. Kulk) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Kulk, 103 A.D.3d 1038, 962 N.Y.S.2d 408 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

Garry, J.

Appeal from a judgment of the County Court of Franklin County (Main Jr., J.), rendered September 26, 2011, upon a verdict convicting defendant of the crimes of driving while intoxicated and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first degree.

In August 2010, police officer Leigh Wenske, who knew that defendant had a suspended or revoked driver’s license, saw him driving a car in the Village of Saranac Lake, Franklin County. After stopping defendant’s vehicle, the officer noticed and told defendant that he had an odor of alcohol on his person. Defendant made several incriminating statements and refused to submit to field sobriety tests. He was arrested and transported to the police station, where he agreed to submit to three field sobriety tests, two of which he passed, and to a breathalyzer test, which indicated that his blood alcohol count (hereinafter BAG) was .10. Defendant was indicted for aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle (hereinafter AUO) in the first degree and two counts of driving while intoxicated (hereinafter DWI). Following a jury trial, he was acquitted of one of the DWI charges and convicted of the remaining charges. County Court denied defendant’s motion to set aside the verdict, and sentenced him to concurrent prison terms of 2 to 6 years for the DWI conviction and U/s to 4 years for the AUO conviction, followed by three years of conditional discharge. Defendant appeals.

Defendant contends that County Court erred in denying his motion to suppress the statements he made during the traffic stop. At the suppression hearing, Wenske testified that he had learned during a previous encounter with defendant that his license was suspended or revoked, and advised defendant that he had stopped him for this reason. Defendant acknowledged his driving status and provided nondriver identification. Wenske then told defendant that he noticed an odor of alcohol on his person, and inquired how much he had had to drink that day. According to Wenske and police officer Jason Swain, who had [1039]*1039been summoned to the scene as backup, defendant stated, among other things, that he had consumed two alcoholic beverages, “had been drinking pretty hard” the night before, knew that he was over the limit and expected to go to prison as a result. Defendant also told the officers to “place handcuffs on him and take him in.”

The record supports County Court’s conclusion that Miranda warnings were not required before defendant made these statements, as he was not then “subject to custodial interrogation” (People v Baggett, 57 AD3d 1093, 1094 [2008]). “[individuals who are temporarily detained pursuant to a routine traffic stop Eire not considered to be in custody for the purposes of Miranda” (People v Dougal, 266 AD2d 574, 576 [1999], lv denied 94 NY2d 879 [2000]; see Pennsylvania v Bruder, 488 US 9, 11 [1988]; People v Hasenflue, 252 AD2d 829, 830 [1998], lv denied 92 NY2d 982 [1998]). Wenske’s statement that he smelled alcohol and inquiry regarding alcohol consumption would not have caused a reasonable person innocent of any wrongdoing to believe that he or she was in custody (see generally People v Yukl, 25 NY2d 585, 589 [1969], cert denied 400 US 851 [1970]; People v Nehma, 101 AD3d 1170, 1173 [2012]).

Defendant next contends that the People failed to turn over Brady material. In response to defendant’s pretrial discovery demand for police video recordings, the People acknowledged the existence of a single video taken “during the defendant’s arrest” and agreed to provide it. The People contend that this video—which is not part of the record—was provided as agreed and is, in any event, not exculpatory. However, the People also now acknowledge the existence of another police video, taken by a dashboard camera in the second officer’s vehicle; this video was not turned over to defendant, allegedly because it was not discovered until after this appeal was filed. This second video, which the People claim is not exculpatory, has now been delivered to defendant’s appellate counsel and to this Court; however, as it is not part of the record, we cannot address its substance on this appeal. Defendant’s claims in this respect would more appropriately be raised in a motion pursuant to CPL article 440 (see CPL 440.10; People v Bianca, 91 AD3d 1127, 1130 [2012], lv denied 19 NY3d 862 [2012]). As to the police list of drivers with suspended or revoked licenses, defendant failed to preserve any issue by demanding the list before trial, objecting when the list was referenced in testimony, or otherwise. In any event, as the list is not in the record, defendant’s [1040]*1040claim that it should have been disclosed cannot be addressed upon this appeal (see People v Bianca, 91 AD3d at 1130).

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Bluebook (online)
103 A.D.3d 1038, 962 N.Y.S.2d 408, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-kulk-nyappdiv-2013.