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Given the Surrounding Circumstances, the Allegation that the Juvenile Was in Possession of a Machete Was Sufficient to Allege the Juvenile Was in Possession of a “Dangerous Knife” within the Meaning of the Penal Law

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Pigott, determined a juvenile delinquency petition which alleged the juvenile was in possession of a machete sufficiently alleged the statutory element of possession of a “dangerous knife:”

The statute does not define the term “dangerous knife.” In Matter of Jamie D. (59 NY2d 589 [1983]), however, this Court held that the term, as used in the statute, “connotes a knife which may be characterized as a weapon” (id. at 592). We explained that certain knives may fall within the scope of the statute based solely on the knife's particular characteristics. For instance,”a bayonet, a stiletto, or a dagger” would come within the meaning of “dangerous knife” because those instruments are “primarily intended for use as a weapon” (id. at 592-93).

We also explained that other knives, which are designed and primarily intended for use as “utilitarian utensils,” may also come within the statutory language in at least two ways (id. at 593). First, a knife may be converted into a weapon, and second, “the circumstances of its possession, although there has been no modification of the implement, may permit a finding that [*4]on the occasion of its possession it was essentially a weapon rather than a utensil” (id. at 593).

A “machete” is generally defined as “a large, heavy knife that is used for cutting plants and as a weapon” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/machete). While a machete has utilitarian purposes, under the circumstances of this case, it would be unreasonable to infer from the statement supporting the petition that respondent was using the machete for cutting plants. Rather, the arresting officer's description of the “machete”, with its 14-inch blade, being carried by respondent late at night on a street in Brooklyn, adequately states “circumstances of . . . possession” (Jamie D. at 593) that support the charge that defendant was carrying a weapon. Matter of Antwaine T, 2014 NY Slip Op 04042, CtApp 6-5-14

 

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