Appeal from a judgment of the County Court of
On the evening of March 10, 2001, a State Trooper observed defendant crossing a double yellow line while driving on a state highway in the Town of Cobleskill, Schoharie County. When approached by the State Trooper, defendant initially gave a false name, but eventually admitted his identity, that he did not possess a valid license and that he had consumed three beers earlier that evening. Defendant, who smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech and glassy eyes, failed two field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest. A breathalyzer test taken within half an hour of the arrest revealed a blood alcohol content (hereinafter BAG) of .10%. Defendant was subsequently indicted on charges of driving while intoxicated (two counts), aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and driving on the left side of markings. Following a jury trial, he was convicted of all counts, sentenced to prison terms aggregating 2 to 6 years, and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and the mandatory surcharge. Defendant appeals, and we affirm.
Defendant’s primary contention is that the evidence at trial was legally insufficient to sustain his conviction of driving while intoxicated in violation of Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1192 (2) because his BAG was exactly .10%. We disagree. The proof that a breathalyzer test administered within two hours of arrest produced a BAG reading of .10% or more is sufficient to establish a prima facie violation of this subdivision and, “together with evidence of one or more of defendant’s deportment, speech, stability and the odor of his or her breath, is sufficient to sustain a conviction, absent evidence . . . from which the trier of fact could conclude that defendant’s BAG at the time of vehicle operation was less than .10” (People v Mertz,
Finally, we reject defendant’s claim that his sentence was
Cardona, P.J., Mercure, Rose and Lahtinen, JJ., concur. Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.
