DESPITE THE TRAGIC CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH PRECEDED DEFENDANT’S CRIMINAL OFFENSES, COUNTY COURT DID NOT ABUSE ITS DISCRETION IN DENYING YOUTHFUL OFFENDER STATUS 3RD DEPT.
The Third Department, over a strong dissent, determined the denial of youthful offender status was not an abuse of discretion. Defendant lost both parents, dropped out of school after having been a successful student and admitted to college, became addicted to drugs, and was targeted and victimized by persons who moved into his home. He had never before committed a crime. He pled guilty to seven burglaries which took place in the space of two weeks:
Defendant contends that County Court abused its discretion in denying him youthful offender status and that the sentence imposed was harsh and excessive. “[T]he decision to grant or deny youthful offender status rests within the sound exercise of the sentencing court’s discretion and, absent a clear abuse of that discretion, its decision will not be disturbed” … . Upon our review of the record, we are unpersuaded that County Court abused its discretion in denying defendant’s application for youthful offender status … . In making its determination, County Court considered numerous mitigating circumstances, including, among other things, defendant’s youth, his lack of a criminal record or prior acts of violence, his cooperation with authorities, his familial history and his expressed remorse for his conduct … .. Nevertheless, based upon the seriousness of the charges for which defendant was convicted and the fact that he willingly participated in seven separate and distinct residential burglaries over a two-week period, we perceive no abuse of discretion in County Court’s ultimate decision to deny defendant youthful offender status … . Nor do we find any extraordinary circumstances or an abuse of discretion that would warrant a reduction of his sentence … . People v Strong, 2017 NY Slip Op 05876, 3rd Dept 7-27-17
CRIMINAL LAW (YOUTHFUL OFFENDER, DESPITE THE TRAGIC CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH PRECEDED DEFENDANT’S CRIMINAL OFFENSES, COUNTY COURT DID NOT ABUSE ITS DISCRETION IN DENYING YOUTHFUL OFFENDER STATUS 3RD DEPT)/SENTENCING (YOUTHFUL OFFENDER, DESPITE THE TRAGIC CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH PRECEDED DEFENDANT’S CRIMINAL OFFENSES, COUNTY COURT DID NOT ABUSE ITS DISCRETION IN DENYING YOUTHFUL OFFENDER STATUS 3RD DEPT)/YOUTHFUL OFFENDER (DESPITE THE TRAGIC CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH PRECEDED DEFENDANT’S CRIMINAL OFFENSES, COUNTY COURT DID NOT ABUSE ITS DISCRETION IN DENYING YOUTHFUL OFFENDER STATUS 3RD DEPT)