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State v. Ross

Court of Appeals of the State of New York
Dec 14, 2006
861 N.E.2d 68 (N.Y. 2006)

Opinion

No. 180.

Argued November 15, 2006.

Decided December 14, 2006.

APPEAL, by permission of an Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals, from an order of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in the Fourth Judicial Department, entered February 3, 2006. The Appellate Division affirmed a judgment of the Erie County Court (Shirley Troutman, J.), which had convicted defendant, upon his plea of guilty, of attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, and sentenced him as a second felony offender.

People v. Ross, 26 AD3d 887, affirmed.

Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo, Inc., Buffalo ( Timothy P. Murphy, David C. Schopp and Barbara J. Davies of counsel), for appellant.

Frank J. Clark, District Attorney, Buffalo ( Tina Marie Stan-ford, Shawn P. Hennessy and J. Michael Marion of counsel), for respondent.

Before: Chief Judge KAYEand Judges CIPARICK, ROSENBLATT, GRAFFEO, READ and SMITH.


OPINION OF THE COURT

The order of the Appellate Division should be affirmed.

Defendant, serving a 20-year sentence for rape in the first degree and robbery in the first degree, was arrested for possession of a "shank" while incarcerated at Wende Correctional Facility. Indicted for promoting prison contraband in the first degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, he pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree in satisfaction of the indictment. At the plea allocution, defendant agreed to be sentenced as a second felony offender. When the People failed to submit a predicate felony statement ( see CPL 400.21) to the same judge at sentencing, defendant waived receipt of the statement and, upon questioning by the judge, declined to contest his predicate felonies. The judge proceeded to sentence him, as a second felony offender, to a term of 1½ to 3 years.

Defendant now maintains that his sentence was illegally imposed. In order to be lawfully sentenced as a second felony offender, a defendant must have been convicted of a predicate felony, as defined in Penal Law § 70.06 (1) (b) (i), within 10 years of the commission of the present felony, subject to tolling for any periods of incarceration ( see Penal Law § 70.06 [b] [iv], [v]). Because information before the sentencing court established that defendant had been convicted of a known and identified felony within the time required by the statute, his waiver of his rights to receive a predicate felony statement and to controvert its allegations ( see CPL 400.21, [3]) was valid.

Defendant's remaining contentions are without merit.

Judge PIGOTT taking no part.

Order affirmed in a memorandum.


Summaries of

State v. Ross

Court of Appeals of the State of New York
Dec 14, 2006
861 N.E.2d 68 (N.Y. 2006)
Case details for

State v. Ross

Case Details

Full title:THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, Respondent, v. EZEKEL Ross, Appellant

Court:Court of Appeals of the State of New York

Date published: Dec 14, 2006

Citations

861 N.E.2d 68 (N.Y. 2006)
861 N.E.2d 68
828 N.Y.S.2d 253