WAIVER OF INDICTMENT JURISDICTIONALLY DEFECTIVE; APPROXIMATE TIME OF THE OFFENSE NOT INCLUDED (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department determined the waiver of indictment was jurisdictionally defective because it did not include the approximate time of the offense:

A written waiver of indictment must be executed in strict compliance with the requirements of CPL 195.20 … , which in relevant part provides that such a waiver shall contain the “approximate time . . . of each offense to be charged in the [SCI]” (CPL 195.20). The People correctly concede that the written waiver of indictment failed to contain the approximate time of each offense and, because strict compliance with CPL 195.20 is required, we agree with defendant that the waiver was defective … . Contrary to the People’s contention, even if we assume, arguendo, that we are able to read an SCI in conjunction with a written waiver of indictment in order to cure a defect therein, that would not cure the defect in the written waiver in this case because the SCI does not state the approximate time of each offense … . People v Laws, 2019 NY Slip Op 08332, Fourth Dept 11-15-19