MISDEMEANOR COMPLAINT ADEQUATELY ALLEDGED POSSESSION OF BRASS KNUCKLES.
The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Abdus-Salaam, determined the misdemeanor complaint sufficiently alleged possession of “brass knuckles:”
“[A] reasonable, not overly technical reading” of the accusatory instrument here satisfies our sufficiency standard … , as it supplied “defendant with sufficient notice of the charged crime to satisfy the demands of due process and double jeopardy” … . The accusatory instrument clearly informed defendant that he was in criminal possession of “brass metal knuckles,” a per se weapon, in violation of Penal Law § 265.01 (1). The term “brass metal knuckles” gave defendant a clear description of the object recovered from his pocket at a specific time and place. Under the common and natural definition of the term, as well as the dictionary definition, defendant was adequately informed of the charge against him. * * *
[T]he character of metal knuckles is such that one need only look at the object to discern whether it is in fact metal knuckles. Thus, the officer here did not have to “exercise . . . professional skill or experience” to conclude defendant possessed metal knuckles … , and the accusatory instrument did not require any specific description of the officer’s training or experience. People v Aragon, 2016 NY Slip Op 07104, CtApp 11-1-16
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