People v. Reynolds

193 Misc. 2d 697, 749 N.Y.S.2d 687, 2002 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1334
CourtNew York County Courts
DecidedOctober 15, 2002
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 193 Misc. 2d 697 (People v. Reynolds) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York County Courts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Reynolds, 193 Misc. 2d 697, 749 N.Y.S.2d 687, 2002 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1334 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2002).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Andrew Halloran, J.

Introduction

The defendant is charged with vehicular manslaughter in the second degree (Penal Law § 125.12 [1], [2]), criminally negligent homicide (Penal Law § 125.10), driving while intoxicated (Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1192 [2]), driving while intoxicated (Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1192 [3]), failure to keep right (Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1120 [a]), unsafe tire (Vehicle and Traffic Law § 375 [35] [c]), and speed not reasonable (Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1180 [a]).

The charges arise out of an incident on January 21, 2002 in which the defendant allegedly operated his vehicle in a snowstorm in an intoxicated condition with unsafe tires; lost control of the vehicle on a curve; crossed the center line; and hit another vehicle head on causing injuries to the driver of the other vehicle which resulted in his death.

The defendant filed his attorney’s affirmation in support of an omnibus motion on May 20, 2002. The People filed an affirmation in opposition to the motion on June 4, 2002. The defendant filed a reply affidavit and reply affirmation of his attorney on June 14, 2002. The People filed a supplemental affirmation in opposition on June 27, 2002. The defendant’s attorney filed a supplemental affirmation in support on July 2, 2002. The People filed a letter in opposition on July 18, 2002 and the defendant’s attorney filed an affirmation in response on July 25, 2002.

Inspection of Grand Jury Minutes

Defendant requests an in camera inspection of the grand jury minutes to determine the sufficiency of the evidence and the adequacy of the legal instructions. The People have not [699]*699shown good cause to deny the motion for an in camera inspection. The motion to inspect should, therefore, be granted. (CPL 210.30 [3].)

This court has, therefore, inspected the grand jury minutes relating to Indictment No. 02-019 and has determined that the motion to dismiss the indictment should be denied.

The standard of review of the sufficiency of evidence presented to the grand jury is “whether the evidence, viewed most favorably to the People, if unexplained and uncontradicted— and deferring all questions as to the weight or quality of the evidence — would warrant conviction.” (People v Carroll, 93 NY2d 564, 568 [1999]; People v Parrotte, 267 AD2d 884 [1999].)

Based upon that standard, the evidence presented to the grand jury was sufficient to support each count of the indictment. The instructions and presentation of the evidence in respect to each count of the indictment were not defective as a matter of law.

Alleged Facial Insufficiency of the Indictment

The defendant’s indictment alleges the crimes charged in the language of the statute and with sufficient factual information to comply with CPL 200.50. The branch of defendant’s motion which seeks dismissal on the grounds that the indictment is facially insufficient should, therefore, be denied.

Alleged Defective Grand Jury Proceeding

The motion to dismiss the indictment because of alleged defects in the grand jury proceedings should also be denied. The grand jury was legally constituted; the proceedings were conducted before more than 16 grand jurors; and 12 or more concurred in the findings. The grand jury proceedings were not defective. They complied with CPL article 190. (CPL 210.20 [1] [c]; 210.35 [5].) The instructions and presentation of the evidence in respect to each count of the indictment were not defective as a matter of law.

Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1194 (4) Blood Draw

The defendant seeks an order suppressing the results of a blood test which indicated that his blood alcohol content was .15% by weight. The defendant alleges that his blood was not drawn in accordance with the procedures set forth in Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1194 (4). The People’s supplemental affirmation filed June 27, 2002 states that the defendant’s blood was drawn by an advanced emergency medical technician. The de[700]*700fendant specifically alleges that the advanced emergency medical technician was not acting under the supervision and at the direction of a physician as required by Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1194 (4) (a) (1) (ii). He also claims that his blood was taken in violation of the physician-patient privilege (CPLR 4504).

Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1194 (4) (a) (1) provides in pertinent part as follows:

“At the request of a police officer, the following persons may withdraw blood for the purpose of determining the alcoholic or drug content therein: (i) a physician, a registered professional nurse or a registered physician’s assistant; or (ii) under the supervision and at the direction of a physician: * * * an advanced emergency medical technician as certified by the department of health * * * .”

On August 22, 2002 this court held an evidentiary hearing, pursuant to CPL 710.60 (4), regarding the taking of defendant’s blood and specifically whether his blood was drawn by an advanced emergency medical technician acting “under the supervision and at the direction of a physician” as required by Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1194 (4) (a) (1) (ii).

The defendant filed a memorandum of law on September 2, 2002 and the People filed a memorandum of law on September 6, 2002.

Dr. Michael Pond, physician’s assistant (hereafter P.A.) Roy F.C. Parker, and advanced emergency medical technicians (hereafter AEMT) Jody C. Winch and Heather L. Borachok testified at the hearing.

Dr. Pond testified that he is the director of emergency medical services at Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake, New York, and that he is also in charge of the emergency room at Adirondack Medical Center’s satellite medical facility in Lake Placid, New York. He testified that the Lake Placid emergency room is normally staffed by a P.A., a registered nurse (hereafter R.N.), and one or more AEMTs; that the AEMTs always operate under the general supervision and direction of a medical doctor (hereafter MD); that protocol authorizes P.A.’s to do some things without contacting an MD and requires them to contact an MD for other procedures. He further testified that he was not working on January 21, 2002; that he was not present at the Lake Placid emergency room; and that he does not know where he was on that date, except that he was someplace in the State of New York.

P.A. Parker testified that he was the P.A. in charge of the emergency room on January 21, 2002; that defendant and Jack [701]*701Shea, the driver of the other car, were brought into the emergency room; that the emergency room staff received information that there was a second motor vehicle accident and that additional patients would be brought to the emergency room in addition to those already there; that Mr. Shea had passed out in the x-ray room and was in critical condition; that Mr. Shea needed the immediate attention of all the emergency room staff and rescue squad personnel; and that while they were working on Mr. Shea, a police officer came to him and requested that blood be drawn from defendant for the purpose of testing for alcohol. He further testified that he requested and received defendant’s consent to the drawing of defendant’s blood and then directed either AEMT Heather Borachok or AEMT Jody C. Winch to draw defendant’s blood. He testified that there was no risk to defendant in having his blood drawn.

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

Related

State v. Garcia
2016 NMCA 044 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2016)
People v. Reynolds
307 A.D.2d 391 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2003)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
193 Misc. 2d 697, 749 N.Y.S.2d 687, 2002 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1334, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-reynolds-nycountyct-2002.