People v Morris
2011 NY Slip Op 08782 [89 AD3d 1112]
November 29, 2011
Appellate Division, Second Department
As corrected through Wednesday, January 4th, 2012


The People of the State of New York, Respondent,
v
ChadonMorris, Appellant.

[*1]Lynn W.L. Fahey, New York, N.Y. (Michelle Vallone of counsel), for appellant.

Richard A. Brown, District Attorney, Kew Gardens, N.Y. (John M. Castellano, Nicoletta J.Caferri and Merri Turk Lasky of counsel), for respondent.

Appeal by the defendant from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Queens County (Knopf, J.),rendered June 24, 2009, convicting him of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, upona jury verdict, and imposing sentence.

Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.

Contrary to the defendant's contention, he was not deprived of a fair trial because the trial courtpermitted the prosecution to introduce a recording of a telephone call to the 911 emergency numberreporting that a person matching the defendant's description committed an uncharged robbery. Thechallenged evidence was properly admitted to "provide background information as to how and why thepolice pursued and confronted [the] defendant" (People v Tosca, 98 NY2d 660, 661 [2002];see People v Wilson, 82 AD3d797, 799 [2011]; People v Givhan,78 AD3d 730, 731 [2010]; People vStevenson, 67 AD3d 605 [2009]; People v Jenkins, 49 AD3d 780 [2008]), and the challenged evidencewas more probative than prejudicial (cf.People v Resek, 3 NY3d 385, 389 [2004]). Moreover, the trial court nullified any potentialprejudice by properly instructing the jury several times as to the limited purpose of this evidence(see People v Tosca, 98 NY2d at 661; People v Wilson, 82 AD3d at 799; Peoplev Givhan, 78 AD3d at 731). Angiolillo, J.P., Hall, Austin and Miller, JJ., concur.


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