| People v Hatch |
| 2009 NY Slip Op 07075 [66 AD3d 1494] |
| October 2, 2009 |
| Appellate Division, Fourth Department |
| The People of the State of New York, Appellant, v Glenn D. Hatch,Respondent. |
—[*1] Christopher A. Barton, Elmira, for defendant-respondent.
Appeal from an order of the Steuben County Court (Marianne Furfure, J.), entered March 27,2009. The order denied the motion of the People to reinstate the count of reckless endangermentin the first degree.
It is hereby ordered that the order so appealed from is unanimously affirmed.
Memorandum: The People appeal from an order denying their motion to reinstate a count ofreckless endangerment in the first degree (Penal Law § 120.25). County Court hadpreviously reduced that count, on defendant's motion, to reckless endangerment in the seconddegree (§ 120.20). We affirm. In reviewing the legal sufficiency of the evidence before thegrand jury, "[t]he reviewing court must consider whether the evidence, viewed most favorably tothe People, if unexplained and uncontradicted—and deferring all questions as to theweight or quality of the evidence—would warrant conviction" (People v Swamp,84 NY2d 725, 730 [1995]). Here, we conclude that the evidence presented to the grand jurywould not warrant a conviction of reckless endangerment in the first degree, inasmuch as it doesnot support a finding that defendant acted with "an utter disregard for the value of human life"(People v Suarez, 6 NY3d 202,214 [2005]; see People v Feingold,7 NY3d 288, 296 [2006]). Defendant's actions in driving a vehicle off a street and "doingdonuts" with the vehicle in an open field at night with the headlights on do not constitute the"hallmarks of wanton recklessness necessary to demonstrate 'circumstances evincing a depravedindifference to human life' " (People vDudley, 31 AD3d 264, 264 [2006], lv denied 7 NY3d 866 [2006]; cf. Peoplev Gomez, 65 NY2d 9, 10-12 [1985]; People v Mooney, 62 AD3d 725 [2009]; People v Robinson, 16 AD3d 768,769-770 [2005], lv denied 4 NY3d 856 [2005]). Further, although there was evidencethat defendant drove in the general direction of two witnesses, we conclude that such evidence isinsufficient to establish that defendant's conduct created a grave risk of death to those witnesses(cf. Robinson, 16 AD3d at 769-770; People v Williams, 158 AD2d 253, 253-254[1990], lv denied 75 NY2d 971 [1990]). Present—Smith, J.P., Fahey, Carni, Pineand Gorski, JJ.