Opinion
01-19-2017
The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Rockne COX, Appellant.
Elena Jaffe Tastensen, Saratoga Springs, for appellant. Craig P. Carriero, District Attorney, Malone (Jennifer M. Hollis of counsel), for respondent.
Elena Jaffe Tastensen, Saratoga Springs, for appellant.
Craig P. Carriero, District Attorney, Malone (Jennifer M. Hollis of counsel), for respondent.
Before: McCARTHY, J.P., EGAN JR., LYNCH, CLARK and AARONS, JJ.
AARONS, J.Appeal from a judgment of the County Court of Franklin County (Main Jr., J.), rendered January 27, 2014, convicting defendant upon his plea of guilty of the crimes of criminal sale of a firearm in the third degree and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first degree.
In satisfaction of two separate indictments, defendant pleaded guilty to aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first degree and criminal sale of a firearm in the third degree. He orally waived his right to appeal when entering his guilty plea. He was thereafter sentenced, in accordance with the terms of the plea agreement, to concurrent prison terms of 1 to 3 years on the unlicensed operation conviction and four years on the criminal sale conviction, the latter of which included a three-year period of postrelease supervision. Defendant now appeals.
We affirm. Although not precluded by his waiver of the right to appeal, defendant's challenge to the voluntariness of his plea is unpreserved as the record does not reflect that he made an appropriate postallocution motion (see People v. Lloyd, 142 A.D.3d 1250, 1251, 37 N.Y.S.3d 917 [2016], lv. denied 28 N.Y.3d 1073, ––– N.Y.S.3d ––– –. ––– N.E.3d –––– [2016]; People v. Macon, 142 A.D.3d 739, 36 N.Y.S.3d 752 [2016], lvs. denied 28 N.Y.3d 1073, ––– N.Y.S.3d ––––, ––– N.E.3d –––– [2016], 28 N.Y.3d 1075, ––– N.Y.S.3d ––––, ––– N.E.3d –––– [2016] ). Moreover, the narrow exception to the preservation rule is inapplicable as there is no indication that defendant made any statements during the plea proceedings that cast doubt upon his guilt or called into question the voluntariness of his plea (see People v. Lopez, 71 N.Y.2d 662, 665–666, 529 N.Y.S.2d 465, 525 N.E.2d 5 [1988] ; People v. Maldonado, 140 A.D.3d 1530, 33 N.Y.S.3d 778 [2016], lv. denied 28 N.Y.3d 1029 [2016] ). Likewise, defendant's claim of ineffective assistance of counsel is, to the extent that it impacts the voluntariness of his plea, unpreserved given the absence of a postallocution motion (see People v. Lloyd, 142 A.D.3d at 1250, 37 N.Y.S.3d 917; People v. Macon, 142 A.D.3d at 739, 36 N.Y.S.3d 752).
Defendant's claim that the sentence is harsh and excessive is not precluded by his waiver of the right to appeal inasmuch as we find that the waiver is invalid due to County Court's failure to explain that this right was separate and distinct from the other rights that defendant was forfeiting by pleading guilty (see People v. Lopez, 6 N.Y.3d 248, 256, 811 N.Y.S.2d 623 [2006] ; People v. Lloyd, 142 A.D.3d at 1250, 37 N.Y.S.3d 917). We, nevertheless, find this claim to be unavailing. Defendant has a lengthy criminal record dating back to 2001 and, during such time, has exhibited a pattern of dangerous and irresponsible behavior. In addition, the sentence imposed fell within the sentencing parameters to which defendant consented as part of the plea agreement and was actually a year less than the court could have imposed. Accordingly, we find no abuse of discretion or any extraordinary circumstances warranting a reduction of the sentence in the interest of justice (see People v. Bickford, 140 A.D.3d 1523, 1525, 34 N.Y.S.3d 533 [2016] ).
ORDERED that the judgment is affirmed.
McCARTHY, J.P., EGAN JR., LYNCH and CLARK, JJ., concur.