Opinion
March 12, 1993
Appeal from the Supreme Court, Onondaga County, Gorman, J.
Present — Callahan, J.P., Green, Balio, Lawton and Doerr, JJ.
Judgment unanimously affirmed. Memorandum: There is no merit to defendant's contentions that his conviction of operating a motor vehicle while in an impaired condition and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first degree was not supported by legally sufficient evidence or was against the weight of the evidence (see, People v. Bleakley, 69 N.Y.2d 490, 495).
We also find no merit to defendant's contention that Supreme Court erred in failing to suppress his statements to the police, the results of his physical performance tests, and evidence of his refusal to submit to a chemical test to determine his blood alcohol content, because the police violated his right to counsel. Defendant's statements to the police occurred during the police investigation of the traffic accident before his arrest and were "designed to clarify the nature of the situation" (People v. Huffman, 41 N.Y.2d 29, 34). The record establishes that defendant's statements were not the product of custodial interrogation because an innocent man would not have thought himself to have been in police custody at the time of the questioning (see, People v. Yukl, 25 N.Y.2d 585, cert denied 400 U.S. 851; People v. Mallory, 175 A.D.2d 623, lv denied 78 N.Y.2d 1013; People v. Gilyard, 145 A.D.2d 568; People v. Centano, 153 A.D.2d 494, affd 76 N.Y.2d 837). Because the interview of defendant was conducted in a non-custodial setting, his right to counsel attaches only if he unequivocally requests an attorney during the questioning (see, People v Feneque, 133 A.D.2d 646; see also, People v. Dawson, 166 A.D.2d 808, 810, lv denied 77 N.Y.2d 876). Additionally, a person arrested for driving while intoxicated has the right to consult a lawyer before deciding whether to consent to a sobriety test only if the person makes a specific request for the assistance of counsel (see, People v. Shaw, 72 N.Y.2d 1032; People v. Gursey, 22 N.Y.2d 224, 227). Here, defendant's statements to the police that he should have counsel did not unequivocally inform the police of his intention to retain counsel, or that he wanted the opportunity to consult with an attorney before speaking to the police or undertaking the sobriety tests. Defendant's statements, therefore, were insufficient to invoke his right to counsel (see, People v. Rowell, 59 N.Y.2d 727; People v. Johnson, 55 N.Y.2d 931, revg on dissenting opn 79 A.D.2d 201, 203; People v Feneque, supra; see also, People v. Hartley, 65 N.Y.2d 703, 705).
We have reviewed defendant's remaining contentions and find them to be without merit.