NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court." Although it is posted on the internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited. R. 1:36-3.
SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY APPELLATE DIVISION DOCKET NO. A-3720-17T1
STATE OF NEW JERSEY,
Plaintiff-Respondent,
v.
MATTHEW OSEI,
Defendant-Appellant. __________________________
Submitted May 21, 2019 – Decided July 9, 2019
Before Judges Gilson and Natali.
On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Middlesex County, Indictment Nos. 15-11- 1337, 16-01-0112, 16-01-0124, 17-01-0095, 17-02- 0154, 17-06-0742, and 17-08-0993.
Joseph E. Krakora, Public Defender, attorney for appellant (Cody T. Mason, Assistant Deputy Public Defender, of counsel and on the briefs).
Andrew C. Carey, Middlesex County Prosecutor, attorney for respondent (Nancy A. Hulett, Assistant Prosecutor, of counsel and on the brief).
PER CURIAM Defendant Matthew Osei was charged with multiple crimes under seven
indictments. A jury convicted defendant of second-degree eluding, N.J.S.A.
2C:29-2(b). Thereafter, defendant entered into a plea agreement to resolve the
charges under the other six indictments. Defendant appeals from his conviction
of eluding and one of the sentences on his guilty pleas. He also contends that
he was improperly required to pay $8774 in restitution without a hearing or an
evaluation of his ability to pay. We affirm defendant's eluding conviction and
his sentences. We remand for a hearing on the amount of and the ability of
defendant to pay restitution.
I.
Between March 2015 and March 2017, defendant allegedly engaged in a
spree of crimes, including burglaries, theft, aggravated assault, possession of
heroin and fentanyl, and eluding. As noted, defendant was indicted for multiple
crimes in seven separate indictments.
In the fall of 2017, defendant was tried on one of the charges: second-
degree eluding. The State alleged that on September 21, 2016, a number of
people complained about a man riding an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) on the streets
in a neighborhood in Colonia. The police responded, and when they saw
A-3720-17T1 2 defendant about to ride off on an ATV, they ordered him to stop. Instead of
obeying that command, defendant sped off and ran a stop sign.
Before trial, the State notified defendant and the trial court that it intended
to introduce evidence that defendant had driven in a reckless manner and had
been issued a motor vehicle ticket for reckless driving. The State contended that
the reckless driving was relevant to whether defendant created a risk of death or
injury, which is one of the elements of second-degree eluding.
Initially, the trial court ruled that the ticket for reckless driving was
irrelevant because the court would make the ruling on the charge of reckless
driving. After the court reviewed the model jury charge on eluding, however, it
changed that ruling and held that the ticket for reckless driving was relevant and
admissible.
The trial court also conducted a Rule 104 evidentiary hearing outside the
presence of the jury to determine whether the State could introduce evidence of
three calls, which had been made to the police on September 20 and September
21, 2016. In those calls, three people complained about the manner in which an
ATV was being driven on the streets in Colonia.
The State argued that the calls were admissible to explain why the police
went to Arthur Avenue on the evening of September 21, 2016. The State also
A-3720-17T1 3 contended that the calls were present sense impressions and were admissible as
exceptions to the hearsay rule. In opposition, defense counsel objected to all
three calls, contending that each call was inadmissible hearsay and evidence of
prior bad acts that should be excluded under Rule 404(b).
The trial court excluded the evidence concerning the details of two of the
calls, but ruled that the call made by N.D.1 was admissible because it explained
how the events leading up to the eluding unfolded. The court also reasoned that
such evidence helped to explain why the police responded to Arthur Avenue.
At trial, the State presented testimony from two witnesses: N.D. and
Police Officer Perry Penna. N.D. lived in a neighborhood in Colonia. Sometime
around midday on September 21, 2016, N.D. called the Woodbury Police
Department to report that a "black male" was "flying up and down" his street on
an ATV. The State also played the recording of the call N.D. made to a police
dispatcher. N.D. told the dispatcher that a person was riding around on an ATV
without a helmet and the "guy is ripping it up out here."
Officer Penna testified that he and Officer Glen Farkas responded to
Arthur Avenue at approximately 7 p.m. on September 21, 2016, after the police
had received "several complaints of someone driving around an ATV recklessly
1 We use initials to protect the privacy interests of the witness. A-3720-17T1 4 on the roads[.]" In response to an objection by defense counsel, the trial court
instructed the jury that the officer's use of the term "reckless" was to be
understood in its "common everyday parlance."
Officer Penna went on to testify that he and Officer Farkas responded in
an unmarked black Ford Explorer, which was equipped with lights and a siren.
As the officers drove by 133 Arthur Avenue, they saw defendant walking away
from an ATV with a female companion. The officers parked their vehicle
approximately five to seven houses away from 133 Arthur Avenue, facing where
the ATV was parked.
Approximately thirty to forty-five minutes after the officers parked their
vehicle, they observed defendant wheel the ATV onto the street and mount it
without a helmet. Officer Penna testified that he pulled his vehicle out in front
to block defendant's path, and yelled at defendant: "Police! Stop! Get off the
bike! Police! Stop!" According to Officer Penna, defendant then pulled a
bandana over his face and drove the ATV around the officers' vehicle "at a high
rate of speed," traveled down the road, and made a left turn without stopping at
a stop sign.
Officer Penna explained that he elected not to pursue defendant because
of the potential dangers of a pursuit in a residential area. He also stated that
A-3720-17T1 5 Officer Farkas issued a ticket for reckless driving, and that ticket was admitted
into evidence over defense counsel's objection. Defendant elected not to testify
and called no witnesses.
The trial court then reviewed the proposed jury instructions with counsel
and defendant. The court explained that it was using the model jury charge on
eluding with modification on the part of the charge addressing how the jury was
to consider evidence that defendant committed a motor vehicle offense. At that
time, neither the State nor defense counsel objected to the proposed jury
instructions.2
After closing arguments, the trial court gave the final instructions to the
jury. In explaining the charge of eluding, the trial court outlined seven elements
the jury needed to consider. Those elements included: (1) whether defendant
was operating a motor vehicle on a street or highway; (2) whether Officer Penna
was a law enforcement officer; (3) whether Officer Penna signaled defendant to
bring his vehicle to a full stop; (4) whether defendant knew that the officer had
2 Defense counsel did object to the modification of the eluding charge at the very beginning of trial before the jury was sworn and before the Rule 104 hearing. After the State rested, the court again went over the eluding charge with counsel. Thereafter, the court also provided counsel with a typed version of the charge. Defense counsel did not renew its earlier objection.
A-3720-17T1 6 signaled him to stop; (5) whether defendant knew Officer Penna was a law
enforcement officer; (6) whether defendant knowingly fled or attempted to elude
the police; and (7) whether the flight or attempt to elude created a risk of death
or injury.
The court also instructed the jury that it could infer risk of death or injury
if defendant's conduct in fleeing or attempting to elude violated a motor vehicle
law. The court explained that the alleged violation here was reckless driving,
which is driving a vehicle heedlessly in a willful or wanton disregard of the
rights or safety of others and in a manner that endangers, or is likely to endanger,
a person or property. The court also instructed the jury that they were not
determining defendant's guilt or innocence of reckless driving. Instead, the
court explained to the jury that they could consider the evidence surrounding the
issuance of the ticket for reckless driving in determining whether defendant
created a risk of death or injury. The court also explained to the jury that it was
free to accept or reject that inference. Thereafter, the jury found defendant
guilty of second-degree eluding.
Several weeks after defendant was convicted of eluding, he entered into a
plea agreement to resolve all the other charges pending against him. Under the
plea agreement, defendant pled guilty to second-degree burglary, N.J.S.A.
A-3720-17T1 7 2C:18-2; third-degree burglary, N.J.S.A. 2C:18-2(a)(1); third-degree possession
of heroin with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of school property, N.J.S.A.
2C:35-5(a) and N.J.S.A. 2C:35-7; third-degree aggravated assault, N.J.S.A.
2C:12-1(b)(7); third-degree conspiracy to commit credit card fraud, N.J.S.A.
2C:5-2 and N.J.S.A. 2C:21-6(h); third-degree fraudulent use of a credit card,
N.J.S.A. 2C:21-6(h); and third-degree unlawful possession of fentanyl, N.J.S.A.
2C:35-10(a)(1).
Defendant was sentenced to five years in prison on the conviction for
eluding. On the convictions resulting from his guilty pleas, he was sentenced to
five years, subject to the No Early Release Act (NERA), N.J.S.A. 2C:43-7.2, for
the second-degree burglary; three years in prison for the third-degree burglary;
three years in prison for the aggravated assault; three years in prison for the
possession with intent to distribute within a school zone; four years in prison for
the fraudulent use of a credit card; and three years in prison for the unlawful
possession of fentanyl. The sentencing judge merged the third-degree
conspiracy conviction into the conviction for fraudulent use of a credit card.
On the issue of consecutive sentences, the sentencing court deviated from
the plea agreement and ruled that he would run all of the sentences concurrent
to each other, except the three-year sentence for unlawful possession of fentanyl.
A-3720-17T1 8 He ran that sentence consecutive to defendant's conviction for second-degree
burglary.
On the third-degree burglary conviction, the court also imposed restitution
of $8774. The court did not hold a hearing on the amount of the restitution or
defendant's ability to pay.
II.
On appeal, defendant makes two primary arguments, each with subparts,
which he articulates as follows:
POINT I – REVERSAL IS REQUIRED BECAUSE THE STATE'S ELUDING CASE WAS IMPROPERLY BOLSTERED WITH OTHER-CRIME AND HEARSAY EVIDENCE ABOUT DEFENDANT RECKLESSLY DRIVING AN ATV, AND IRRELEVANT EVIDENCE ABOUT DEFENDANT BEING CHARGED WITH RECKLESS DRIVING.
A. Reversal Is Required Because the Testimony About Defendant Driving an ATV at High Speeds Hours Before the Incident Was Irrelevant Bad-Act Evidence, Which the Court Did Not Instruct the Jury on How to Consider
B. Reversal Is Required Because the Court Allowed the State to Admit Irrelevant and Prejudicial Hearsay Testimony About Multiple People Calling the Police About Defendant "Recklessly" Driving an ATV at Other Times
A-3720-17T1 9 C. Reversal Is Required Because the Testimony and Evidence About the Officers Charging Defendant with Reckless Driving Was Irrelevant and Prejudicial
D. The Cumulative Effect of the Errors Deprived Defendant of Due Process and a Fair Trial and Warrants Reversal
POINT II – A REMAND IS REQUIRED BECAUSE THE COURT IMPOSED A CONSECUTIVE SENTENCE IN VIOLATION OF THE PLEA DEAL AND IMPOSED $8774 IN RESTITUTION WITHOUT HOLDING A HEARING ON THE AMOUNT OR DEFENDANT'S ABILITY TO PAY.
A. A Remand Is Required Because the Court Imposed a Consecutive Sentence in Violation of the Plea Agreement
B. A Remand Is Required Because the Court Imposed $8774 in Restitution Without Holding a Hearing on the Amount of Restitution or Defendant's Ability to Pay
These arguments present five issues: (1) whether the testimony and
recorded call to the police concerning an individual driving an ATV prior to the
eluding was inadmissible evidence of prior bad acts; (2) whether the police
officer's testimony concerning citizen complaints about an ATV was
inadmissible hearsay and evidence of prior bad acts; (3) whether the ticket for
reckless driving was relevant to the charge of second-degree eluding; (4)
A-3720-17T1 10 whether the sentencing judge impermissibly deviated from the plea agreement
in sentencing defendant; and (5) whether there needs to be a restitution hearing.
A. The Testimony and Recorded Call Regarding Someone Driving an ATV Prior to the Eluding
As noted, at trial, the court permitted the State to introduce testimony from
N.D. and to play the recording of N.D.'s call to the police. N.D. testified that he
had called the police on September 21, 2016, because an ATV "was flying up
and down [his] street." In N.D.'s recorded call, he reported that someone was
"riding around on an ATV very loud," was "ripping it up," and "flying up and
down the street" without a helmet or license plate.
The trial court allowed N.D.'s testimony and the call to police, finding that
that evidence was probative to explain why the police responded to the
neighborhood. The court also ruled that the recording was an exception to the
hearsay rule because it contained N.D.'s present sense impressions of someone
riding an ATV.
On this appeal, defendant argues that the testimony by N.D. and the
recording of N.D.'s call to the police were irrelevant bad-act evidence. We hold
that the trial court abused its discretion in determining N.D.'s testimony and
recorded call were relevant to a fact in issue. Nevertheless, the admission of the
evidence constitutes harmless error.
A-3720-17T1 11 We review a trial court's evidentiary rulings for an abuse of discretion.
State v. Brown, 236 N.J. 497, 521-22 (2019) (quoting Pomerantz Paper Corp. v.
New Cmty. Corp., 207 N.J. 344, 371 (2011)). In contrast, our review is de novo
if the court applied the wrong test or failed to perform the required analysis.
State v. Garrison, 228 N.J. 182, 194 (2017) (citing State v. Rose, 206 N.J. 141,
158 (2011)).
Rule 404(b) excludes "evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts . . . to
prove the disposition of a person in order to show that such person acted in
conformity therewith." N.J.R.E. 404(b). In this case, the State never alleged
that defendant had been the individual who N.D. observed driving an ATV.
Indeed, N.D. did not identify the driver of the ATV as defendant in either his
trial testimony or during the recording of his call to the police. Instead, N.D.
testified that he was unable to make a "facial identification" of the person he had
observed riding an ATV. N.D. further testified that the only identifying
characteristics he had observed were that the driver was a "black male."
Moreover, the prosecutor, in both her opening statement and closing
argument, relied on N.D.'s testimony and the recording of his call to the police
solely to explain why the police officers were investigating that area of Arthur
Avenue. In short, the State did not directly suggest that defendant was the
A-3720-17T1 12 individual who had been driving an ATV when N.D. called the police.
Nonetheless, the presentation of N.D.'s testimony and recorded call to the police
was sufficient to insinuate that defendant was the individual who N.D. had
observed driving an ATV earlier in the day, thereby allowing the jury to possibly
conclude that defendant had a propensity to drive recklessly. We will, therefore,
analyze the evidence under Rule 404(b), because the jury might have inferred
that defendant was the individual who N.D. observed driving an ATV earlier in
the day.
As previously explained, "Rule 404(b) bars 'evidence of other crimes,
wrongs, or acts' when used 'to show that [a] person acted in conformity
therewith.'" State v. Green, 236 N.J. 71, 81 (2018) (alteration in original)
(quoting N.J.R.E. 404(b)). "Significantly, however, 'evidence that is intrinsic to
the charged crime is exempt from the strictures of Rule 404(b).'" State v.
Santamaria, 236 N.J. 390, 409-10 (2019) (quoting Rose, 206 N.J. at 177). As
such, "[t]he threshold determination under Rule 404(b) is whether the evidence
relates to 'other crimes,' and thus is subject to continued analysis under Rule
404(b), or whether it is evidence intrinsic to the charged crime, and thus need
only satisfy the evidence rules relating to relevancy[.]" Id. at 410 (quoting Rose,
206 N.J. at 179).
A-3720-17T1 13 In Rose, the Court held there are "two narrow categories" of intrinsic
evidence. 206 N.J. at 180 (quoting United States v. Green, 617 F.3d 233, 248
(3d Cir. 2010)). "First, evidence is intrinsic if it 'directly proves' the charged
offense." Ibid. (quoting Green, 617 F.3d at 248). "Second, 'uncharged acts
performed contemporaneously with the charged crime may be termed intrinsic
if they facilitate the commission of the charged crime.'" Ibid. (quoting Green,
617 F.3d at 249). All evidence of other bad acts not fitting within one of those
two "tight description[s]" must be analyzed under Rule 404(b). Id. at 180-82.
The Court in Rose also instructed courts to analyze "background or 'completes
the story' evidence" under Rule 404(b), rather than labeling it intrinsic to the
charged crime. Id. at 180-81 (quoting Green, 617 F.3d at 249) (noting "there is
no reason that our courts cannot allow, under our Rule 404(b), evidence to be
admitted for a . . . "necessary background" . . . purpose).
Here, the evidence that someone was driving an ATV prior to defendant's
eluding incident was introduced as "background information" to explain why the
police responded to Arthur Avenue. The evidence neither directly proved an
element of the eluding charge against defendant nor did it constitute evidence
of contemporaneous bad acts that facilitated defendant's eluding. Instead, the
earlier operation of the ATV was separate from the activity underlying
A-3720-17T1 14 defendant's eluding charge. As such, it is not intrinsic evidence and, thus, must
be analyzed under Rule 404(b).
Courts apply the four-part Cofield test to determine if bad-act evidence is
admissible under Rule 404(b). State v. Weaver, 219 N.J. 131, 150 (2014) (citing
State v. Cofield, 127 N.J. 328, 338 (1992)). The Cofield test allows courts to
admit bad-act evidence if it is: "(1) relevant to a material issue; (2) similar in
kind and reasonably close in time to the offense charged; (3) supported by clear
and convincing evidence; and (4) its prejudice does not outweigh its probative
value." Ibid. (citing Cofield, 127 N.J. at 338). If bad-act evidence "withstands
a Cofield analysis, before its admission the trial 'court must instruct the jury on
the limited use of the evidence' and 'explain precisely the permitted and
prohibited purposes of the evidence.'" State v. Prall, 231 N.J. 567, 582 (2018)
(quoting Cofield, 127 N.J. at 341).
Here, the trial court found N.D.'s testimony and the recording of his call
had "probative value" and were relevant since they would address "why the
police ultimately responded . . . to the address[.]" "There is seldom any
justification for admitting" evidence that explains why police are in a certain
area, absent a claim by the defendant "that the police acted arbitrarily in
approaching him [or her]." State v. Baker, 228 N.J. Super. 135, 139-40 (App.
A-3720-17T1 15 Div. 1988); accord State v. Branch, 182 N.J. 338, 350 (2005) (citing State v.
Irving, 114 N.J. 427, 447 (1989) (finding no need for a detective to justify why
he placed a defendant's photograph in an array since there was no alleged
arbitrary police action)); State v. Bankston, 63 N.J. 263, 272 (1973) ("[T]here
was no need . . . to explain that the police were looking for a person described
by the clothing he was wearing. There was no allegation that the police were
acting arbitrarily.").
The trial court's ruling was an abuse of discretion as defendant had not
argued that the police were acting arbitrarily in responding to the area or in
attempting to stop defendant. See Branch, 182 N.J. at 350; Irving, 114 N.J. at
447; Bankston, 63 N.J. at 272; Baker, 228 N.J. Super. at 139-40. Thus, the
testimony of N.D. and his recorded call were not probative of a fact that was in
issue. As such, the evidence cannot satisfy prong one of the Cofield test.
Having found the trial court abused its discretion through the improper
admission of irrelevant bad-act evidence, we now consider whether the error
was "clearly capable of producing an unjust result." R. 2:10-2; see also Prall,
231 N.J. at 587-88. "[T]o warrant reversal of defendant's conviction, [the]
errors, singly or collectively, must 'raise a reasonable doubt' as to whether they
affected the result reached by the jury." Prall, 231 N.J. at 588 (quoting State v.
A-3720-17T1 16 Macon, 57 N.J. 325, 336-37 (1971)); accord State v. Kemp, 195 N.J. 136, 149-
50 (2008). In addition, "[t]he error[s] must be evaluated 'in light of the overall
strength of the State's case.'" Prall, 231 N.J. at 588 (alterations in original)
(quoting State v. Sanchez-Medina, 231 N.J. 452, 468 (2018)).
Here, N.D's testimony and the admission of his recorded call were
harmless error. The testimony and recording were limited and not highly
prejudicial. Just as importantly, there was strong, independent evidence offered
against defendant on the eluding charge and the trial court appropriately
instructed the jury to focus on the elements necessary to prove eluding. Officer
Penna identified defendant as the individual who was involved in the eluding
incident on September 21, 2016. Officer Penna went on to testify that on that
date, he observed defendant move an ATV from a driveway, onto the roadway,
and then mount it. Officer Penna also testified that he had angled his police
vehicle in front of defendant, "activated the lights and sirens," and yelled
"Police! Stop! Get off the bike! Police! Stop!"
According to Officer Penna, when he and his partner yelled at defendant
to stop, the siren on the police vehicle had had been switched off, the vehicle
was approximately seven to ten feet away from defendant with its windows
lowered, and defendant was still on the ATV "trying to start it with the kick
A-3720-17T1 17 start." Officer Penna testified that in response to their attempts to stop him,
defendant covered his face with a bandana, started the ATV, and drove around
the police vehicle at a "high rate of speed." Thereafter, Officer Penna observed
defendant drive the ATV past a stop sign without stopping.
In sum, Officer Penna's testimony concerning the events he personally
observed on September 21, 2016, constitutes "overwhelming admissible
evidence on which to convict defendant" for second-degree eluding. See id. at
588-89. Accordingly, we find any errors by the trial court harmless "because,
when evaluated in light of the vast evidence against defendant, those errors were
not 'sufficient to raise a reasonable doubt as to whether [they] led the jury to a
result it otherwise might not have reached.'" Id. at 588 (alteration in original)
(quoting State v. Daniels, 182 N.J. 80, 95 (2004)).
B. The Testimony of the Police Officer Regarding Complaints About Someone Driving an ATV Prior to the Eluding At trial, Officer Penna testified that he and Officer Farkas had gone to the
neighborhood because the police had "received several complaints of someone
driving around an ATV recklessly on the roads in . . . Colonia[.]" Defense
A-3720-17T1 18 counsel objected to the term "reckless." The trial court overruled that objection
and instructed the jury as follows:
I'm going to allow the testimony to stand with regards to the officer's use of reckless just to explain in the common everyday parlance of what reckless means to him. Okay? In the way - - and based on his communication skills. But please don't attach anything to that, other than the officer's description of what the call was about.
Defendant now argues that Officer Penna's testimony that the police had
"received several complaints of someone driving around an ATV recklessly"
was inadmissible hearsay of bad acts. Notably, defense counsel did not object
to this testimony on that basis at trial. Accordingly, defendant must demonstrate
plain error to obtain relief. R. 2:10-2; see also Macon, 57 N.J. at 336-37.
"It is well settled that the hearsay rule is not violated when a police officer
explains the reason he approached a suspect or went to the scene of the crime
by stating that he did so 'upon information received.'" Bankston, 63 N.J. at 268
(citation omitted). Such testimony is admissible, when relevant, "to show that
the officer was not acting in an arbitrary manner or to explain his [or her]
subsequent conduct." Ibid. The Court has ruled, however, that "when the officer
becomes more specific by repeating what some other person told him [or her]
concerning a crime by the accused the testimony violates the hearsay rule." Ibid.
A-3720-17T1 19 Accord Branch, 182 N.J. at 350. "The 'common thread' that renders testimony
about information received from non-testifying third parties inadmissible 'is that
a police officer may not imply to the jury that he possesses superior knowledge,
outside the record, that incriminates the defendant." Weaver, 219 N.J. at 152
(quoting Branch, 182 N.J. at 351).
Here, it was error to admit Officer Penna's testimony as to the citizen
complaints. First, as previously detailed, the reason why the police were in the
area was not relevant to a fact in issue, since defendant had not argued that the
officers were acting arbitrarily in responding to the area or in attempting to stop
defendant. Second, even if Officer Penna's testimony had been relevant, it was
hearsay as it went beyond the general statement that he and Officer Farkas
traveled to the area of 133 Arthur Avenue "upon information received." Third,
while Officer Penna's testimony concerning the citizen complaints did not name
defendant, when combined with N.D.'s earlier testimony and the admission of
N.D.'s recorded call, that testimony insinuated that defendant was the individual
who had been "driving around an ATV recklessly" earlier that day, and
therefore, had the propensity to drive recklessly. Accordingly, Officer Penna's
testimony as to the citizen complaints was irrelevant hearsay evidence of
defendant's prior bad act.
A-3720-17T1 20 Nonetheless, having carefully reviewed the record, we are convinced that
the testimony about the citizen complaints was not clearly capable of producing
an unjust result. R. 2:10-2. See also Weaver, 219 N.J. at 154-55 (2014); Kemp,
195 N.J. at 156 (finding even where testimony may implicate "the concerns
interdicted by Bankston," a reversal is not required where the totality of the
circumstances leads to the conclusion that the admission was harmless); Macon,
57 N.J. at 336 ("[N]ot 'any' possibility [of an unjust verdict] can be enough for
a rerun of the trial. The possibility must be real, one sufficient to raise a
reasonable doubt as to whether the error led the jury to a result it otherwise might
not have reached.").
As previously discussed, the State presented strong, independent evidence
of defendant's guilt on the eluding charge through Officer Penna's testimony
concerning the events he personally observed on September 21, 2016. That
testimony addressed each of the elements required for a second-degree eluding
conviction. See Prall, 231 N.J. at 588.
Moreover, the State did not highlight or inappropriately rely upon Officer
Penna's testimony concerning the citizen complaints in its opening statement or
closing argument. Cf. State v. Thomas, 168 N.J. Super. 10, 16 (App. Div. 1979)
(noting it was contrary to Bankston for the prosecutor to assert, during
A-3720-17T1 21 summation, that police learned from an informant that defendant may have been
involved in a robbery). In her opening, the prosecutor's sole reference to the
citizen complaints noted that "on September 21, 2016, members of the
Woodbridge Police Department received a report of someone riding an ATV on
the streets of Colonia. And they went to investigate." Similarly, in her closing
argument, the prosecutor stated that "[t]he evidence showed that Officer Penna
conducted an investigation on September 21, 2016 with his partner, Officer
Farkas. Because they had some calls about someone riding an ATV on the
streets of Colonia . . . [and] were directed to 133 Arthur Avenue." Accordingly,
the prosecutor's actual use of the testimony concerning the citizen complaints
illustrates that the State did not misuse the testimony to incriminate defendant.
In sum, the admission of Officer Penna's testimony concerning the citizen
complaints was not "clearly capable of producing an unjust result." R. 2:10-2;
Weaver, 219 N.J. at 155 (citing Branch, 182 N.J. at 353).
C. Whether the Summons for Reckless Driving Was Relevant to the Charge of Second-Degree Eluding Defendant also argues that the trial court committed reversible error in
allowing Officer Penna to testify that defendant was given a ticket for reckless
driving and in admitting that ticket into evidence. He argues that the ticket was
not relevant to the charge of second-degree eluding. As this issue also involves
A-3720-17T1 22 an evidentiary ruling, we again use an abuse of discretion standard of review.
Brown, 236 N.J. at 521-22 (quoting Pomerantz Paper Corp., 207 N.J. at 371).
Defendant was charged with second-degree eluding under N.J.S.A. 2C:29-
2(b). That statute provides in relevant part:
[a]ny person, while operating a motor vehicle on any street or highway in this State . . . who knowingly flees or attempts to elude any police or law enforcement officer after having received any signal from such officer to bring the vehicle . . . to a full stop commits a crime of the third degree; except that, a person is guilty of a crime of the second degree if the flight or attempt to elude creates a risk of death or injury to any person.
Accordingly, second-degree eluding involves seven elements: (1) the
defendant was operating a motor vehicle on the streets or highway of th is State;
(2) the person who signaled him to stop was a police officer or law enforcement
officer; (3) the officer signaled defendant to bring the vehicle to a full stop; (4)
defendant knew that the officer had signaled him to bring the vehicle to a full
stop; (5) defendant knew that the officer was a police officer or law enforcement
officer; (6) defendant knowingly fled or attempted to elude the officer; and (7)
the flight or attempt to elude created a risk of death or injury to any person.
N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2(b). See also Model Jury Charges (Criminal), "Eluding an
Officer (N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2(b))" (rev. Nov. 15, 2004). Moreover, the eluding
statute contains "a permissive inference that the flight or attempt to elude creates
A-3720-17T1 23 a risk of death or injury" if the defendant's conduct involved a violation of the
motor vehicle laws of New Jersey. N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2(b); accord State v. Dixon,
346 N.J. Super. 126, 137-38 (App. Div. 2001).
Here, the trial court properly instructed the jury on the elements of second-
degree eluding. In that regard, the trial court used the model jury charge, with
some modifications to tailor the charge to the facts of the case. Specifically, the
trial court instructed the jury on the first six elements of eluding and then
informed the jury that if they found each of those six elements were proven
beyond a reasonable doubt, then they were to consider the seventh element. The
court then properly instructed the jury as to the seventh element. In that regard,
the court informed the jury that defendant had been charged with the motor
vehicle offense of reckless driving and then correctly defined reckless driving.
The court also properly informed the jury that they were not to decide whether
defendant engaged in reckless driving as that would be decided by the court.
Finally, the court correctly informed the jury that they were not compelled to
draw the inference and they were free to accept or reject the inference.
In summary, when we consider the limited testimony concerning the
issuance of the ticket for reckless driving in the full context of the proper jury
instructions concerning second-degree eluding, we discern no abuse of
A-3720-17T1 24 discretion in the trial court's admission of the ticket for reckless driving . The
important consideration is that the jury was properly charged with the elements
of eluding, including whether the flight or attempt to elude created a risk of
death or injury to any person. See Dixon, 346 N.J. Super. at 138; State v. Dorko,
298 N.J. Super. 54, 59-60 (App. Div. 1997) (reversing because trial court did
not charge jury as to elements of alleged motor vehicle offenses, not because
motor vehicle summonses had been admitted into evidence). See also State v.
Cagno, 211 N.J. 488, 514-15 (2002) (explaining that jury charges are reviewed
as a whole and that courts "must not lose sight of the distinction between
instructions that are legally incorrect and those that are merely 'capable of being
improved.'" (quoting State v. Delibero, 149 N.J. 90, 106 (1997))).
Finally, we reject defendant's arguments concerning cumulative error.
Any errors surrounding the admittance of N.D.'s testimony, the recorded call,
and Officer Penna's testimony concerning the citizen complaints were all
harmless. Moreover, in combination, that testimony and evidence was also
harmless.
D. Whether the Sentencing Judge Impermissibly Deviated From the Plea Agreement in Sentencing Defendant
Following his jury conviction for eluding, defendant negotiated a plea
agreement to resolve all his other charges. Under that agreement, the State
A-3720-17T1 25 agreed to recommend that defendant be sentenced between four and five years
on six different crimes, that all those sentences would run concurrent to each
other and defendant's sentence on the eluding conviction, except that defendant's
sentence of second-degree burglary, which would be five years subject to
NERA, would run consecutive to the eluding sentence. At the time that
defendant entered into the plea agreement, the court had not yet sentenced him
on his eluding conviction.
Thereafter, on March 22, 2018, defendant was sentenced to five years in
prison for the jury conviction of second-degree eluding. A week later, on March
27, 2018, defendant was sentenced on the six crimes to which he had pled guilty.
The sentencing court accepted and imposed the recommended five-year prison
term on the second-degree burglary conviction. The court also imposed the
recommended four-year term on the conviction for fraudulent use of a credit
card. On the remaining four convictions, the court imposed more lenient
sentences than recommended by the State in the plea agreement. Specifically,
the court sentenced defendant to a three-year prison term on each of the four
convictions, rather than the recommended four-year terms.
The court also deviated from the State's recommendation concerning the
consecutive sentence. The court ruled that all of defendant's sentences resulting
A-3720-17T1 26 from his guilty pleas would run concurrent to each other, with one exception.
The court ruled that defendant's three-year sentence for third-degree possession
of fentanyl would run consecutive to defendant's five-year sentence for second-
degree burglary. The court explained that it was making this ruling because
defendant possessed fentanyl when he was on pretrial release from several of
his other charges. The court also explained that it felt that such a consecutive
sentence was more appropriate and would result in a shorter period of
incarceration than anticipated by the plea agreement. In that regard, the court
pointed out that if it followed the State's recommendation, defendant's aggregate
sentence would be for ten years in prison, with five of those years subject to
NERA. Under the court's sentences, defendant's aggregate time in prison would
be eight years, with five years subject to NERA.
We review sentencing determinations under a deferential standard. State
v. Grate, 220 N.J. 317, 337 (2015) (quoting State v. Lawless, 214 N.J. 549, 606
(2013)). We do not substitute our judgment for the judgment of the sentencing
court. Lawless, 214 N.J. at 606 (first citing State v. Cassady, 198 N.J. 165, 180
(2009); then citing State v. O'Donnell, 117 N.J. 210, 215 (1989)). Instead, we
will affirm a sentence unless
(1) the sentencing guidelines were violated; (2) the aggravating and mitigating factors found by the
A-3720-17T1 27 sentencing court were not based upon competent and credible evidence in the record; or (3) "the application of the guidelines to the facts of [the] case makes the sentence clearly unreasonable so as to shock the judicial conscience."
[State v. Miller, 237 N.J. 15, 28 (2019) (alteration in original) (quoting State v. Fuentes, 217 N.J. 57, 70 (2014)).]
When sentencing a defendant for multiple offenses, "such multiple
sentences shall run concurrently or consecutively as the court determines at the
time of sentence[.]" N.J.S.A. 2C:44-5(a). In State v. Yarbough, 100 N.J. 627,
643-44 (1985), our Supreme Court established criteria that a sentencing court
must consider when deciding whether to impose consecutive sentences.
Namely, the court must evaluate whether
(a) the crimes and their objectives were predominantly independent of each other;
(b) the crimes involved separate acts of violence or threats of violence;
(c) the crimes were committed at different times or separate places, rather than being committed so closely in time and place as to indicate a single period of aberrant behavior;
(d) any of the crimes involved multiple victims;
(e) the convictions for which the sentences are to be imposed are numerous[.]
A-3720-17T1 28 [Id. at 644.]
In addition, a sentencing court may also consider and weigh the existence
of a negotiated plea agreement in deciding to impose consecutive sentences.
State v. S.C., 289 N.J. Super. 61, 71 (App. Div. 1996) (citing State v. Balfour,
135 N.J. 30, 37-40 (1994)). The presence of a plea agreement, however, does
not relieve a court of its duty to address the Yarbough factors, see State v.
Randolph, 210 N.J. 330, 335-37, 353 (2012), nor does it eliminate a "court's
ability to exercise discretion in sentencing." State v. Hess, 207 N.J. 123, 151
(2011). "[A] criminal sentence is always and solely committed to the discretion
of the trial court to be exercised within the standards prescribed by the Code of
Criminal Justice." Ibid. (alteration in original) (quoting State v. Warren, 115
N.J. 433, 447 (1989)).
Nonetheless, a defendant is "entitled to withdraw a guilty plea if the court
imposes a harsher sentence than that contemplated by the plea agreement." State
v. McNeal, 237 N.J. 494, 499 (2019) (quoting State v. Bellamy, 178 N.J. 127,
135 (2003)); accord Warren, 115 N.J. at 443. To receive relief from the
imposition of a "harsher sentence," however, "a defendant must show that he or
she was prejudiced by enforcement of the agreement." Bellamy, 178 N.J. at 135
(citing State v. Howard, 110 N.J. 113, 123 (1988)).
A-3720-17T1 29 Here, defendant contends that the court impermissibly deviated from the
plea agreement by running his sentence for third-degree possession of fentanyl
consecutive to his sentence for second-degree burglary. We are not persuaded
by this argument because the sentence imposed was, in aggregate, less than the
sentence recommended by the State. Defendant would only have a longer
sentence if we were to reverse his conviction for eluding. Since we have rejected
that portion of his appeal, defendant has no grounds to challenge his sente nces
because, in aggregate, the sentences are less than what the State was
recommending, and the court appropriately detailed its reasons for imposing the
consecutive sentence in its thorough analysis of the Yarbough factors.
E. Whether There Needs to be a Hearing on Restitution
As noted, in connection with defendant's conviction for third-degree
burglary, the court ordered defendant to pay restitution of $8774. The court,
however, did that without a hearing to address either the amount of the
restitution or defendant's ability to pay the restitution.
"[R]estitution serves to rehabilitate the wrongdoer and to compensate the
victim of the wrongdoer's conduct." State v. Newman, 132 N.J. 159, 169 (1993);
see also N.J.S.A. 2C:43-3 ("A person who has been convicted of an offense may
be sentenced to pay a fine, to make restitution, or both[.]"). In imposing
A-3720-17T1 30 restitution, "the court must balance the goals of victim-compensation and
offender-rehabilitation, and thoughtfully establish a fair and reasonable amount
of restitution and method of repayment." Newman, 132 N.J. at 173. If there is
a good-faith dispute over the amount of loss or defendant's ability to pay, the
court is required to conduct a restitution hearing to resolve those issues. See
N.J.S.A. 2C:44-2(c); RSI Bank v. Providence Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 234 N.J. 459,
477 (2018) ("A court imposing restitution must 'conduct at least a summary
hearing' to determine the ability to pay." (quoting State v. Paladino, 203 N.J.
Super. 537, 547 (App. Div. 1985))); State v. Scribner, 298 N.J. Super. 366, 372
(App. Div. 1997); State v. Jamiolkoski, 272 N.J. Super. 326, 329 (App. Div.
1994). Here, as noted, the sentencing court did not conduct a restitution hearing.
Accordingly, we vacate the award of $8774 in restitution and remand for a
hearing to determine the amount of restitution and defendant's ability to pay.
Defendant's conviction for eluding is affirmed. His sentences are also
affirmed. We remand for a restitution hearing. We do not retain jurisdiction.
A-3720-17T1 31