People v Sells

People v Sells 2014 NY Slip Op 02190 Released on March 28, 2014 Appellate Division, Fourth Department Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431. This opinion is uncorrected and subject to revision before publication in the Official Reports.

Released on March 28, 2014
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department
PRESENT: SMITH, J.P., FAHEY, PERADOTTO, CARNI, AND SCONIERS, JJ.
314 KA 12-02253

[*1]THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, RESPONDENT,

v

BRYON K. SELLS, DEFENDANT-APPELLANT.


Appeal from an order of the Monroe County Court (Frank P. Geraci, Jr., J.), entered November 13, 2012. The order determined that defendant is a level three risk pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration Act.


TIMOTHY P. DONAHER, PUBLIC DEFENDER, ROCHESTER (JAMES ECKERT OF COUNSEL), FOR DEFENDANT-APPELLANT.
SANDRA DOORLEY, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, ROCHESTER (NANCY GILLIGAN OF COUNSEL), FOR RESPONDENT.


It is hereby ORDERED that the order so appealed from is unanimously affirmed without costs.

Memorandum: Defendant appeals from an order determining that he is a level three risk pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration Act (Correction Law § 168 et seq.). We reject defendant's contention that County Court erred in denying his request for a downward departure from his presumptive risk level. According to defendant, the effect of incarceration on him was a mitigating circumstance warranting a downward departure. "A departure from the presumptive risk level is warranted where there exists an aggravating or mitigating factor of a kind or to a degree, not otherwise adequately taken into account by the guidelines" (People v Scott, 111 AD3d 1274, 1275, lv denied 22 NY3d 861 [internal quotation marks omitted]). In our view, "defendant failed to establish his entitlement to a downward departure from the presumptive risk level inasmuch as he failed to present the requisite clear and convincing evidence of the existence of special circumstances warranting a downward departure" (People v Marks, 31 AD3d 1142, 1143, lv denied 7 NY3d 715).
Entered: March 28, 2014
Frances E. Cafarell
Clerk of the Court