| People v Martinez |
| 2010 NY Slip Op 09300 [79 AD3d 1378] |
| December 16, 2010 |
| Appellate Division, Third Department |
| The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v Jorge M. Martinez,Appellant. |
—[*1] James A. Murphy III, District Attorney, Ballston Spa (Nicholas E. Tishler of counsel), forrespondent.
Garry, J. Appeal from a judgment of the County Court of Saratoga County (Scarano, J.), renderedSeptember 29, 2009, convicting defendant upon his plea of guilty of the crime of aggravated unlicensedoperation of a motor vehicle in the first degree.
Police officers in the Town of Waterford, Saratoga County stopped defendant's vehicle whileresponding to a call reporting a possible intoxicated driver. Defendant admitted that he had consumedthree drinks and did not have a driver's license, and a record check confirmed that his driver's licensehad been revoked. After smelling alcohol on defendant's breath, officers asked him to perform four fieldsobriety tests, two of which he failed. Defendant then submitted to a breathalyzer test, revealing that hisblood alcohol content was .07%. After arraignment, defendant waived indictment and agreed to beprosecuted by a superior court information charging him with aggravated unlicensed operation of amotor vehicle in the first degree. Defendant pleaded guilty as charged, waived his right to appeal, andwas sentenced under the plea agreement to a prison term of one year. He now appeals.
Initially, defendant claims that the plea allocution was insufficient because he did not specificallyadmit that his ability to drive was impaired by alcohol, an element of the crime (see Vehicle andTraffic Law § 511 [3] [a] [i]; § 1192 [1]). To the extent that this claim addresses thevoluntariness of defendant's plea, it survives his waiver of the right to appeal; however, as [*2]defendant concedes, it is unpreserved for review because he did notmove to withdraw the plea or vacate the judgment of conviction (see People v Singh, 73 AD3d 1384, 1384-1385 [2010], lvdenied 15 NY3d 809 [2010]). We disagree with the contention that the issue is reviewable underthe narrow exception to the preservation rule (see People v Lopez, 71 NY2d 662, 666[1988]; People v Glynn, 73 AD3d1290, 1291 [2010]). Defendant admitted that he was under the influence of alcohol and did notclaim that he was not impaired or make any other statements that were inconsistent with his guilt or castdoubt on the elements of the crime (seePeople v Campbell, 66 AD3d 1059, 1060 [2009]). His mere failure to precisely articulateone of the crime's elements did not trigger County Court's duty to make a further inquiry (seePeople v Lopez, 71 NY2d at 666 n 2). In any event, the colloquy demonstrates that defendant"manifestly understood the charge and made a knowing, voluntary and intelligent decision to pleadguilty" (People v Holmes, 75 AD3d834, 835 [2010]; see People vGoldstein, 12 NY3d 295, 300-301 [2009]).
Defendant further contends that he was deprived of fair notice of the charges against him becausethe accusatory instrument did not separately charge him with a violation of Vehicle and Traffic Law§ 1192 (1). If established, this claim could constitute a jurisdictional defect surviving his failure topreserve the issue (see People v Iannone, 45 NY2d 589, 600 [1978]) as well as his guilty pleaand appeal waiver (see People vDreyden, 15 NY3d 100, 103 [2010]; People v Quinones, 51 AD3d 1226, 1227 [2008], lv denied 10NY3d 938 [2008]). However, it is well settled that " 'incorporation by specific reference to [a] statuteoperates without more to constitute allegations of all the elements of the crime' " (People v Place, 50 AD3d 1313, 1314[2008], lv denied 11 NY3d 740 [2008], quoting People v D'Angelo, 98 NY2d 733,735 [2002]). Here, the information alleged that defendant violated Vehicle and Traffic Law §511 (3) (a) (i) by "knowingly operat[ing] a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol in violationof Vehicle and Traffic Law [§ ] 1192 (1), while his license was . . . revoked." Thiswas sufficient to provide defendant with fair notice of all of the elements of the charge against him. Nojurisdictional defect was established, and neither this claim nor defendant's related claim that the failureto charge a separate violation of Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1192 (1) unconstitutionally assumedhis guilt was preserved for review (see CPL 210.20; People v Iannone, 45 NY2d at600).
Defendant further failed to preserve his remaining contentions that the police lacked probable causeto stop and arrest him (see People vAshley, 45 AD3d 987, 988 [2007], lv denied 10 NY3d 761 [2008]) and the recordprovides no factual basis for a finding that he was impaired by alcohol (see People v Ward,282 AD2d 871, 872 [2001]). Review of these claims is precluded by his guilty plea and appeal waiver(see People v Hansen, 95 NY2d 227, 230 [2000]; People v Holmes, 75 AD3d at834-835).
Peters, J.P., Spain, Lahtinen and Kavanagh, JJ., concur. Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.