People v Grant (Derwood)
Annotate this CaseDecided on October 5, 2007
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
APPELLATE TERM: 9th and 10th JUDICIAL DISTRICTS
PRESENT: : RUDOLPH, P.J., EMERSON and LaCAVA, JJ
2004-471 W CR.
The People of the State of New York, Respondent,
against
Derwood Grant, Appellant.
Appeal from a judgment of the Justice Court of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester
County (Doris T. Friedman, J.), rendered March 16, 2004. The judgment convicted defendant,
upon his plea of guilty, of bail jumping in the third degree.
Judgment of conviction affirmed.
It affirmatively appears from the record that defendant's guilty plea to the charge of bail
jumping in the third degree (Penal Law § 215.55) was voluntarily, knowingly and
intelligently entered (see Boykin v Alabama, 395 US 238 [1969]). Defendant was
advised of various rights he was waiving; there were no protestations of innocence or indications
of doubt as to guilt, and he had the opportunity to make a voluntary and
rational decision with proper advice in pleading guilty (see People v Nixon, 21
NY2d 338 [1967], cert denied sub nom. Robinson v New York, 393 US 1067 [1969]).
Essentially, defendant bases his claims that his plea was not knowing and intelligent and that he
was denied the effective assistance of counsel upon the ground that counsel failed to advise him
correctly that he would be unable to raise an appellate challenge to the alleged denial of his
statutory right to a speedy trial by pleading guilty (see People v Thill, 52 NY2d 1020
[1981]; People v Gooden, 151 AD2d 773 [1989]). However, these claims must be
rejected since there is no "reasonable probability that, but for counsel's unprofessional errors, the
result of the proceeding would have [*2]been different"
(Strickland v Washington, 466 US 668, 694 [1984]). Indeed, when the motion to dismiss
for denial of a speedy trial is considered on the merits, it is patent that said motion was lacking in
merit. Furthermore, it is clear that under the totality of the circumstances, defense counsel
provided "meaningful representation" (see People v Benevento, 91 NY2d 708, 712
[1998]; People v Baldi, 54 NY2d 137, 147 [1981]). Defendant was afforded the benefit
of a plea bargain which included dismissal
of a class A misdemeanor charge and four traffic infraction charges, and a concurrent jail
sentence was arranged and imposed. Accordingly, the guilty plea should not be disturbed.
Rudolph, P.J., Emerson and LaCava, JJ., concur.
Decision Date: October 05, 2007
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