People v. Watson

182 Misc. 2d 644, 700 N.Y.S.2d 651, 1999 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 506
CourtCriminal Court of the City of New York
DecidedNovember 12, 1999
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 182 Misc. 2d 644 (People v. Watson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Criminal Court of the City 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. Watson, 182 Misc. 2d 644, 700 N.Y.S.2d 651, 1999 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 506 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1999).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Diane Kiesel, J.

The defendant, Alfred Watson, is charged in a criminal court information with endangering the welfare of a child in violation of Penal Law § 260.10 (1). It is alleged that the defendant left a seven-year-old child alone in a locked apartment for approximately 2V2 hours. The defendant now moves this court for an order (1) dismissing the information as facially insufficient or (2) dismissing the information in the interest of justice or (3) dismissing the information on the ground he has been denied his right to a speedy trial, (4) directing the People to provide a bill of particulars and discovery, and (5) granting hearings for the purpose of determining whether to suppress statements he allegedly made to law enforcement officers and to suppress evidence recovered from him.

FACIAL INSUFFICIENCY

An accusatory instrument upon which the defendant may be held for trial “must allege ‘facts of an evidentiary character’ (CPL 100.15 [3]) demonstrating ‘reasonable cause’ to believe the defendant committed the crime charged (CPL 100.40 [4] Ob]).” (People v Dumas, 68 NY2d 729, 731 [1986].) Further, a valid criminal court information must contain nonhearsay factual allegations which, if true, “establish * * * every element of the offense charged and the defendant’s commission thereof.” (CPL 100.40 [1] [c].) This is a nonwaivable jurisdictional requirement. (People v Case, 42 NY2d 98, 99 [1977].)

The accusatory instrument was converted to an information by the filing and serving of a corroborating affidavit signed by the complaining witness, a seven-year-old child, and a voir dire conducted by the prosecutor with the same child. It states that on or about January 20, 1999, at approximately 6:30 p.m. in Bronx County:

“[the child complainant] was left alone in a locked apartment by defendant for approximately two and one-half hours, from 4:00 p.m. until deponent [a police officer] arrived at the apartment at approximately 6:30 p.m.

“Deponent states that defendant stated in sum and substance: I LEFT HER ALONE AT ABOUT FOUR O’CLOCK; I THOUGHT HER BROTHER WOULD BE THERE.

[646]*646“Deponent is informed by informant [the child] that informant was scared while alone in the apartment.”

Endangering the welfare of a child occurs when a person “knowingly acts in a manner likely to be injurious to the physical, mental or moral welfare of a child less than seventeen years old.” (Penal Law § 260.10 [1].) No injury or actual harm need result from the accused’s actions for criminal liability to be imposed. (People v Simmons, 92 NY2d 829 [1998]; People v Cenat, 176 Misc 2d 39, 42-43 [Crim Ct, Kings County 1997]; People v Cruz, 152 Misc 2d 436 [Crim Ct, NY County 1991].)

The defendant asserts he cannot be held criminally liable for allegedly leaving the complainant child home alone because he had no parental duty to the child. Instead, the defendant argues that he merely agreed to provide transportation to and from school for the child and, therefore, had no other responsibilities to her. Further, the defendant contends the information is factually incorrect because, according to his version of events, the child was left unsupervised for only 16 minutes.

The defendant’s argument falls short of its intended mark for several reasons. First, the defendant is not charged with subdivision (2) of the child endangering statute, which specifically requires a parental, custodial or legally recognizable relationship between a defendant and a child complainant. (See, Penal Law § 260.10 [2].) Subdivision (1) requires no such relationship. (See, Penal Law § 260.10 [1].) Therefore, under the subdivision with which the defendant is charged, his argument is valid only if leaving a child home alone is considered an act of omission, rather than an affirmative act.

In essence, what the defendant asserts is that the endangering charge is based on his alleged failure to exercise proper supervision over the complainant by leaving her home alone. Failure to act may give rise to criminal liability if a defendant has a legal duty to his victim. (Penal Law § 15.00 [3]; People v Lilly, 71 AD2d 393 [4th Dept 1979].) Courts have determined a duty of care extends from biological parent to child (Matter of Lynn, NYLJ, Sept. 2, 1999, at 34, col 3 [Sur Ct, Westchester County]), stepparent to child (People v Carroll, 93 NY2d 564 [1999]), and paid daycare worker to child (People v Wong, 81 NY2d 600 [1993]).

The defendant asserts no such duty existed between himself and the complainant because he is unrelated to the child and had agreed to do no more than transport her from school. “Defendant had agreed to provide transportation for the complainant to and from her school and specifically advised the parent [647]*647charged with the legal care and custody of the complainant. In effect, his duty and responsibilities were that of a school bus driver.” (Defendant’s motion, at 3.)

This court is of the opinion, however, that leaving a child alone is an act, not an omission. Therefore, no duty need exist on the part of the actor to the victim to impose criminal liability for behavior that rises to the level of endangering. In cases where courts have required some relationship or duty on the part of the defendant towards the complainant to sustain a charge of endangering under Penal Law § 260.10 (1), the behavior at issue constituted acts of omission. Thus, in People v Goddard (206 AD2d 653, 655 [3d Dept 1994]), the Court found no criminal liability where a “casual babysitter” was unaware a chronically ill child had not received his medication and was suffering from dehydration, and thus failed to adequately care for him. Similarly, in People v Myers (201 AD2d 855, 856 [3d Dept 1994]), the Court held that absent assuming “all of the responsibilities incident to parenthood” a defendant could not be found criminally liable under Penal Law § 260.10 (1) for failure to provide adequate food, medical care or assistance for a child who ultimately died.

In a subsequent civil action for false arrest brought by the Myers defendant (the boyfriend of the deceased child’s mother) following the dismissal of the criminal charges against him, Myers asserted the police knew he was not the child’s natural father. Therefore, he argued, they could not have assumed he was acting in loco parentis and was in any way responsible for the neglect that led to the child’s death. (Myers v State of New York, 175 Misc 2d 90 [Ct Cl 1997].) Accordingly, he contended there was no probable cause for his arrest. (Supra.)

The Court of Claims, in addressing that argument under Penal Law § 260.10 (1), disagreed. Because the death resulted from acts of omission, the court looked beyond the mere fact of biological fatherhood to outward indicia of a duty from Myers to the child. It determined that such duty existed because, inter alla, Myers lived with the mother and the child as a family and contributed financially to the household. Accordingly, the court held that sufficient probable cause existed to support Myers’ arrest. (Myers v State of New York, 175 Misc 2d, supra,

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Bluebook (online)
182 Misc. 2d 644, 700 N.Y.S.2d 651, 1999 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 506, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-watson-nycrimct-1999.