Opinion
5129 Ind. 1013/12
12-05-2017
The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Yvette ALEXANDER, Defendant–Appellant.
Seymour W. James, Jr., The Legal Aid Society, New York (Ronald Alfano of counsel), for appellant. Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., District Attorney, New York (Stephen Kress of counsel), for respondent.
Seymour W. James, Jr., The Legal Aid Society, New York (Ronald Alfano of counsel), for appellant.
Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., District Attorney, New York (Stephen Kress of counsel), for respondent.
Richter, J.P., Manzanet–Daniels, Andrias, Kern, Singh, JJ.
Judgment, Supreme Court, New York County (Bruce Allen, J. at mistrial; Daniel P. FitzGerald, J. at plea and sentencing), rendered September 22, 2014, convicting defendant of aggravated harassment in the second degree, and sentencing her to a conditional discharge, unanimously affirmed.
The court providently exercised its discretion when, after accepting a partial verdict acquitting defendant of another charge, it declared a mistrial as to the remaining charge based on an implied finding of manifest necessity. In this brief trial, the jury sent out notes indicating it was deadlocked on the count at issue, before and after the court delivered an Allen charge in accordance with defendant's wishes (see Matter of Rivera v. Firetog, 11 N.Y.3d 501, 872 N.Y.S.2d 401, 900 N.E.2d 952 [2008], cert denied 556 U.S. 1193, 129 S.Ct. 2012, 173 L.Ed.2d 1105 [2009] ; People v. Baptiste, 72 N.Y.2d 356, 533 N.Y.S.2d 853, 530 N.E.2d 377 [1988] ; Matter of Plummer v. Rothwax, 63 N.Y.2d 243, 481 N.Y.S.2d 657, 471 N.E.2d 429 [1984] ). The court sufficiently inquired into the jury's inability to reach a verdict, and it properly considered but rejected alternatives to a mistrial.
We have considered and rejected defendant's remaining arguments.