People v Adams
2015 NY Slip Op 02355 [126 AD3d 1405]
March 20, 2015
Appellate Division, Fourth Department
As corrected through Wednesday, April 29, 2015


[*1]
 The People of the State of New York, Respondent, vElijah W. Adams, Appellant. (Appeal No. 1.)

Timothy P. Donaher, Public Defender, Rochester (James Eckert of counsel), fordefendant-appellant.

Sandra Doorley, District Attorney, Rochester (Robert J. Shoemaker of counsel), forrespondent.

Appeal from a judgment of the Monroe County Court (Vincent M. Dinolfo, J.),rendered February 24, 2011. The judgment convicted defendant, upon his plea of guilty,of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.

It is hereby ordered that the judgment so appealed from is unanimouslyaffirmed.

Memorandum: Defendant appeals from three judgments rendered by County Courton the same day. In appeal Nos. 1 and 2, defendant appeals from judgments convictinghim upon his pleas of guilty of, respectively, criminal possession of a weapon in thesecond degree (Penal Law § 265.03 [3]) and criminal possession of acontrolled substance in the third degree (§ 220.16 [1]). In appeal No. 3,defendant appeals from a judgment entered upon his admission that he violated the termsand conditions of his probation, revoking his probation, and sentencing him toconcurrent terms of incarceration of 21/3 to 7 years on the underlyingconviction of assault in the second degree (§ 120.05 [3]), attempted assaultin the second degree (§§ 110.00, 120.05 [2]), and recklessendangerment in the first degree (§ 120.25).

We reject defendant's contention in appeal Nos. 1 and 2 that the search by theprobation officers of his home and a safe located therein was unlawful. Althoughprobationers and parolees have a constitutional right to be free from unreasonablesearches and seizures (see People v Hale, 93 NY2d 454, 459 [1999]; People v Johnson, 94 AD3d1529, 1531 [2012], lv denied 19 NY3d 974 [2012]), " 'what may beunreasonable with respect to an individual who is not on parole [or probation] may bereasonable with respect to one who is' " (Johnson, 94 AD3d at 1531,quoting People v Huntley, 43 NY2d 175, 181 [1977]). The conditions ofdefendant's probation regarding drug and alcohol use and prohibiting his ownership offirearms were a proper basis for the probation officers' search of his home and propertytherein (see Hale, 93 NY2d at 462; People v Wheeler, 99 AD3d 1168, 1170 [2012], lvdenied 20 NY3d 989 [2012]). The search was carried out as part of the probationofficers' duties as probation officers, and "the assistance of police officers at the scenedid not render the search a police operation" (People v Johnson, 54 AD3d 969, 970 [2008]; seeJohnson, 94 AD3d at 1532; People v Scott, 93 AD3d 1193, 1194 [2012], lvdenied 19 NY3d 967 [2012], reconsideration denied 19 NY3d 1001[2012]).

Defendant contends that we must reverse the judgment in appeal No. 3 in the eventthat we reverse the judgments in appeal Nos. 1 and 2 (see generally People vPichardo, 1 NY3d 126, 129 [2003]). We reject defendant's contention, inasmuchas we are affirming the judgments in appeal Nos. 1 and 2. We conclude, however, thatthe sentence in appeal No. 3 must be vacated. Assault in the second degree is a class Dviolent felony for which an indeterminate sentence is not authorized (see PenalLaw § 70.02 [1] [c]; [2] [b]; People v Delorenzo, 34 AD3d 868, 869 [2006]; see generally People v Endresz,1 AD3d 888, 888-889 [2003]). In addition, the indeterminate term of21/3 to 7 years' imprisonment exceeded the authorized sentence for theclass E nonviolent felony of [*2]attempted assault in thesecond degree (see § 70.00 [2] [e]; [3] [b]; [4]). " 'Althoughthis issue was not raised before the [sentencing] court or on appeal, we cannot allow an[illegal] sentence to stand' " (People v Davis, 37 AD3d 1179, 1180 [2007], lvdenied 8 NY3d 983 [2007]). We therefore modify the judgment in appeal No. 3 byvacating the sentence, and we remit the matter to County Court "to afford defendant theopportunity to accept an amended lawful sentence or to withdraw his admission to theviolation of probation" (Peoplev Jones, 118 AD3d 1361, 1362 [2014]). Present—Centra, J.P., Peradotto,Lindley and DeJoseph, JJ.


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