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ALTHOUGH DEFENDANT WAS WARNED HE WOULD BE SENTENCED EVEN IF HE DIDN’T APPEAR AT SENTENCING, THE JUDGE SHOULD NOT HAVE SENTENCED DEFENDANT IN ABSENTIA WITHOUT FIRST INQUIRING INTO THE REASON AND WHETHER DEFENDANT COULD BE LOCATED (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, vacating the defendant’s sentence, determined defendant should not have been sentenced in absentia:

Defendant had a waivable right to be present at sentencing, and he was indisputably informed of that right “and of the consequences for failing to appear, including the fact that the proceedings would go forward in his . . . absence” … . Nevertheless, “before proceeding in the absence of a defendant who fails to appear, the court must conduct an inquiry into the reason for the absence and consider whether the defendant could be located within a reasonable period of time” … . County Court did not make that inquiry and, indeed, rejected defense counsel’s request for an adjournment to look into the reasons for defendant’s absence. Thus, County Court erred in sentencing defendant in absentia … . People v Cutler, 2019 NY Slip Op 04504, Third Dept 6-619

 

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