People v. Powers (Steven)

Opinion

The People of the State of New York,

against

Steven Powers, Defendant-Appellant.

Defendant appeals from a judgment of the Criminal Court of the City of New York, New York County (Richard M. Weinberg, J.), rendered January 6, 2014, convicting him, upon his plea of guilty, of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, and imposing sentence.

Per Curiam.

Judgment of conviction (Richard M. Weinberg, J.), rendered January 6, 2014, affirmed.

The accusatory instrument was not jurisdictionally defective. It charged all the elements of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree (see Penal Law § 220.03), and set forth sufficient factual allegations to show the basis for the arresting officer's conclusion that the substance at issue was a controlled substance. The instrument recited that police "recovered a controlled substance to wit pills of Ketamine from defendant's right hand" and that the officer knew the pills were Ketamine "based upon his professional training as a police officer in the identification of drugs, his prior experience as a police officer in drug arrests, and observation of the packaging, which is characteristic of this type of drug" (see People v Smalls, 26 NY3d 1064 [2015]; People v Kalin, 12 NY3d 225, 231-232 [2009]; People v Pearson, 78 AD3d 445 [2010], lv denied 16 NY3d 799 [2011]).

THIS CONSTITUTES THE DECISION AND ORDER OF THE COURT.
I concurI concurI concur
Decision Date: October 12, 2018