No Probable Cause for Arrest—Convictions Stemming from Arrest Reversed

The Fourth Department determined the deputy sheriff did not have probable cause to arrest the defendant without a warrant because the defendant had not committed a crime in the deputy’s presence. Therefore all the charges stemming from the illegal arrest were not supported by legally sufficient evidence:

We conclude that the evidence is legally insufficient to establish that the deputy’s arrest of defendant was lawful inasmuch as the deputy lacked reasonable cause to believe that defendant committed an offense in her presence (see CPL 140.10 [1] [a]). Because the arrest was not authorized at its inception, the evidence is legally insufficient to support the conviction of assault, obstructing governmental administration, and resisting arrest …, and reversal therefore is required. People v LaBoy, 96, 4th Dept 2-14-14