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People v. Steele

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Fourth Department
May 27, 1981
81 A.D.2d 1024 (N.Y. App. Div. 1981)

Opinion

May 27, 1981

Appeal from the Erie Supreme Court.

Present — Dillon, P.J., Hancock, Jr., Doerr, Moule and Schnepp, JJ.


Judgment unanimously modified, on the law and facts, and, as modified, affirmed, in accordance with the following memorandum: Defendants appeal from their convictions of burglary in the third degree (Penal Law, § 140.20) and attempted grand larceny in the second degree (Penal Law, § 110.00, 155.35 Penal). We conclude that the circumstantial evidence connecting defendant Steele with the crime permits no reasonable hypothesis except that of guilt and, therefore supports the conviction (see People v Benzinger, 36 N.Y.2d 29, 32). We agree with all three defendants that the People failed to prove that they attempted to steal property having a value in excess of $1,500 or, indeed, having any specific value. Accordingly, the convictions of attempted grand larceny in the second degree are reduced to attempted petit larceny (Penal Law, § 155.25; see People v Cohen, 66 A.D.2d 901, 902). Inasmuch as defendants have already served the maximum time to which they could be sentenced on the attempted petit larceny conviction, there is no need to remand for resentencing (see People v Cohen, supra; People v Bell, 55 A.D.2d 624). We do not find the sentences imposed for the convictions of burglary in the third degree to be excessive.


Summaries of

People v. Steele

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Fourth Department
May 27, 1981
81 A.D.2d 1024 (N.Y. App. Div. 1981)
Case details for

People v. Steele

Case Details

Full title:THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, Respondent, v. MERLE STEELE, Appellant

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Fourth Department

Date published: May 27, 1981

Citations

81 A.D.2d 1024 (N.Y. App. Div. 1981)

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