Judges: Spain
Filed Date: 12/26/2002
Status: Precedential
Modified Date: 11/1/2024
Appeal from an order of the Family Court of Sullivan County (Meddaugh, J.), entered April 4, 2002, which, in a proceeding pursuant to Family Ct Act article 3, ordered respondent to pay restitution.
In August 2001, respondent (born in 1987) was charged in Family Court with acts which, if committed by an adult, would constitute the crimes of sodomy in the first degree and attempted rape in the first degree. In December 2001, after the
While expressing a preference to update the probation report, Family Court nonetheless proceeded to accept respondent’s admissions to the two charges and, on consent of petitioner and respondent’s Law Guardian, immediately held a dispositional hearing. The probation report, which had predated the break-in charges, was received into evidence without objection; as agreed, Family Court placed respondent on two years’ probation subject to the orders and conditions which were recommended in the probation report, including mental health and sex offender treatment. After the court reviewed the terms and conditions of probation with respondent on the record, the court asked respondent if he understood them, to which respondent answered “yes.” Up until this point in the proceedings, there was no mention in the record of restitution. The record reflects that as the dispositional hearing came to a close, petitioner stated: “Judge, one thing I — I failed to mention was I reserve my right to restitution on the trespass charge.” Without confirming respondent’s awareness of and/or consent to restitution as a condition of this disposition, the court directed respondent to review and sign the order and conditions of probation. Notably, the order and conditions of probation does not direct respondent to make any restitution.
Thereafter, a restitution hearing was held at which only the
We find merit in respondent’s contention that there is no record evidence that restitution was part of the negotiated admission agreement. Accordingly, we reverse. Concededly, Family Court may order a respondent who is over the age of 10 years who has been adjudicated a juvenile delinquent to make restitution in a fair and reasonable amount to replace the property or to repair the damage caused by respondent (see Family Ct Act § 353.6 [1] [a]). However, the issue of restitution was never discussed on the record prior to respondent’s admissions. Further, at the time petitioner first stated, as an obvious afterthought, that it was reserving its right to seek restitution on the trespass charge, the disposition — based on respondent’s oral admissions — was already complete and placed on the record.
Moreover, a juvenile may be required to pay restitution for a charge to which he or she did not admit only where there is a recorded agreement to accept an admission in exchange for restitution (see Matter of Frank M., 219 AD2d 877; see also Matter of Joel M., 240 AD2d 747). Here, respondent was originally charged with burglary, criminal trespass and petit larceny arising out of the break-in. His admission was to trespassing only and at no time did he admit to Family Court that he stole or damaged any of the victim’s property. Indeed, nothing in the record — including his statements to the police— reflects that respondent ever admitted to stealing or damaging the victim’s property, nor was there any proof at the restitution hearing that respondent stole the victim’s jewelry. Thus, despite the Law Guardian’s failure to object at the time of the disposition or at the time of the restitution hearing — held upon
Cardona, P.J., Mercure, Carpinello and Kane, JJ., concur. Ordered that the order is reversed, on the law, without costs.
The “Order and Conditions of Probation” form sets forth the conditions of probation ordered by Family Court. While some of the conditions are