People v. KinneyPeople v. Kinney
Defendant contends that procedural errors at trial invalidate his convictions. We disagree and affirm. Defendant was convicted of, among other things, driving while ability impaired as a misdemeanor which requires two or more prior convictions for a violation of
At a Sandoval hearing, defendant unequivocally indicated his intention to deny his prior convictions, requiring the People to establish them as an element of their proof, despite being advised by his attorney and by County Court of his right to stipulate to the convictions in order to avoid the potential prejudice that might result from having that evidence presented to the jury. At the commencement of trial, outside of the presence of the jury, defendant confirmed his intention to deny his prior convictions and indicated his understanding that evidence of those convictions would be presented to the jury. Contrary to defendant‘s contentions, we find that this procedure satisfied the statute (see People v Cagle, 158 AD2d 931, 931 [1990]); compare People v Ward, 57 AD3d 582, 583 [2008], lv denied 12 NY3d 789 [2009]; People v Reid, 232 AD2d 173, 174 [1996], lv denied 90 NY2d 862 [1997].
Nor did defendant suffer any prejudice as a result of County Court holding a hearing after both parties had rested, but before the case was submitted to the jury, to determine the admissibility of defendant‘s refusal to consent to a chemical test (see
Mercure, J.P., Spain, Malone Jr. and Kavanagh, JJ., concur. Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.
McCarthy, J.