Court Opinion

ID: 9947658
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-03-05 15:10:50.782418+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:26:38.950240
License: Public Domain

NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE
                               APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION
        This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court ." Although it is posted on the
     internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited. R. 1:36-3.

                                                        SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY
                                                        APPELLATE DIVISION
                                                        DOCKET NO. A-3339-21

STATE OF NEW JERSEY,

          Plaintiff-Respondent,

v.

CHANG K. YOUNG, a/k/a
DAVID M. BROWN,

     Defendant-Appellant.
________________________

                   Submitted February 13, 2024 – Decided March 5, 2024

                   Before Judges Mayer and Enright.

                   On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law
                   Division, Atlantic County, Indictment No. 19-07-1573.

                   Jennifer Nicole Sellitti, Public Defender, attorney for
                   appellant (Thomas Patrick Belsky, Assistant Deputy
                   Public Defender, of counsel and on the brief).

                   Matthew J. Platkin, Attorney General, attorney for
                   respondent (Kaili Elizabeth Matthews, Deputy
                   Attorney General, of counsel and on the brief).

PER CURIAM
      Defendant Chang K. Young appeals from a March 21, 2022 order granting

the State's motion to declare him ineligible to participate in Recovery Court. We

affirm.

      We recite the facts from various proceedings before the trial court.

Defendant assaulted a seventy-two-year-old woman in an Atlantic City casino

during the early morning hours on April 28, 2019. While the victim sat alone

playing a slot machine, defendant attacked the victim and stole her voucher

winnings.

      According to the victim, defendant assaulted her from behind and

threatened to kill her if she screamed. When the victim screamed for help,

defendant threw her to the ground, causing the victim to hit her head on a chair.

As a result of the assault and robbery, the victim sustained multiple injuries,

including a facial laceration above her right eye, permanent facial scarring, and

vision and hearing loss. At the time of trial, the victim continued to suffer

headaches and vision and hearing loss.

      A grand jury indicted defendant on July 24, 2019, charging him with first-

degree robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1(a)(1). In March 2020, defendant pleaded

guilty to a downgraded count of second-degree robbery. Under the terms of the

plea agreement, the State agreed to recommend a five-year prison term subject

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to the No Early Release Act (NERA), N.J.S.A. 2C:43-7.2. On the plea forms,

defendant reserved the right to apply to Recovery Court and the State noted that

it would object to any Recovery Court application.

      At the March 5, 2020 plea hearing, defendant provided the factual basis

for his plea. Initially, defendant stated his satisfaction with both the plea and

his plea counsel. The judge made clear that if the court accepted defendant's

guilty plea, defendant would not "be allowed to take [the] plea back and the case

[would] proceed to sentencing at a future date." At that point, defendant asked

the judge to explain.

      The judge stated defendant faced a maximum sentence of ten years in

prison on the second-degree offense, but the State recommended a five-year

term. The judge explained defendant could make an application to Recovery

Court and the State intended to object to any such application. The judge told

defendant the following:

                   The application [would] be heard by the drug
            court judge, who [would] then make a fair
            determination in accordance with the law.
                   If the drug court judge determines that you are
            eligible and would benefit from substance [abuse]
            treatment, then you'll be enrolled in drug court and the
            five-year prison sentence would be the alternative
            sentence to carry along with you if you're not successful
            in drug court.

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                  If you're successful in drug court, ultimately you
             would be placed on probation and all these charges
             would be resolved by that way.
                  Now do you understand all that, sir?

      Because defendant hedged regarding the plea after the judge provided this

explanation, the judge instructed defendant to speak with his attorney.

Defendant then spoke to his attorney.

      After speaking with counsel, defendant told the judge he did not agree

with the stipulation to a NERA sentence. The judge replied he lacked discretion

regarding the NERA component of the sentence, and defendant could still

choose to go to trial.

      After some additional colloquy with the judge, defendant expressed his

displeasure that the State could object to his Recovery Court application. The

judge found defendant's reticence indicated defendant was not prepared to enter

a knowing and voluntary plea. As a result, the judge rejected the plea and set

the case for trial on March 30, 2020.

      Before leaving the courtroom, defendant asked the judge a few additional

questions related to the State's ability to oppose his application to Recovery

Court. The judge further explained that the State did "not have the ability to

deny [defendant's] application for drug court," but the State could object and

make arguments in opposition to the application. The judge emphasized the

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Recovery Court judge, in the exercise of the judge's discretion, would make the

decision on any Recovery Court application. Based on the judge's follow-up

discussion, defendant agreed to proceed with the plea as negotiated.

      As part of the factual basis for the plea, defendant admitted using force or

causing bodily injury to the casino victim. The judge then found defendant

entered the plea knowingly and voluntarily.

      In January 2022, defendant applied to Recovery Court. 1 Consistent with

the State's position during the plea hearing, the State "vociferously" opposed the

application. The State filed a motion to declare defendant legally ineligible for

Recovery Court because he posed a danger to the community. In a March 21,

2022 written decision, the Recovery Court judge denied defendant's application

and granted the State's motion. The Recovery Court judge found:

            [T]he resources of [R]ecovery [C]ourt are inadequate to
            safeguard the community as to this defendant.
            Defendant committed a violent and unprovoked
            attack[] on a [seventy-two]-year-old woman to steal her
            casino voucher while she was engaged in a slot
            machine. Defendant purportedly threw the elderly
            woman to the ground, struck . . . her multiple times, and

1
  The delay in defendant's application to Recovery Court was likely attributable
to defendant's erroneous release from pretrial detention as part of the jail
facility's COVID-19 emergency release plan. Twenty-one months later, in
December 2021, defendant returned to custody.

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            fled the scene . . . while she lay bleeding from the
            lacerations he inflicted. . . .

                  [The v]ictim [] continues to struggle with her
            residual injuries. . . .

                   Defendant has a moderate criminal history,
            including mostly . . . municipal matters and ordinance
            violations, but defendant clearly has a propensity for
            violence.

He further found defendant's "propensity for violence" presented a "danger to

the community" and thus declared defendant ineligible for Recovery Court.

Defendant moved for reconsideration, which the Recovery Court judge denied.

      At the June 9, 2022 sentencing hearing, during defendant's allocution,

defendant stated he "never had a clear understanding of what the plea bargain

was." The judge rejected this claim, finding it contrary to statements made by

defendant under oath during the plea hearing.

      Further, the judge found defendant not credible regarding his lack of

understanding of the plea. The judge stated defendant "either lied to the judge

[at the plea hearing] or lied to the judge [at the sentencing hearing]." Although

defendant stated he wanted to retract his plea, his sentencing attorney was not

in a position to present a motion to withdraw the plea because defendant never

discussed the issue with counsel and did not raise the issue until midway through

the sentencing hearing. The judge concluded defendant's statements that he did

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not understand the plea were raised only after the denial of his Recovery Court

application. The judge then sentenced defendant to the recommended five-year

jail term subject to NERA.

      On appeal, defendant raises the following arguments:

      POINT I

            REMAND     IS    NECESSARY    BECAUSE
            [DEFENDANT] WAS DEPRIVED [OF] HIS
            CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO COUNSEL TO
            ASSIST HIM WITH HIS ATTEMPT TO RAISE A
            MOTION TO WITHDRAW HIS GUILTY PLEA
            BEFORE SENTENCING.

      POINT II

            [DEFENDANT] WAS ERRONEOUSLY DENIED
            ADMISSION INTO RECOVERY COURT BECAUSE
            THE TRIAL COURT'S DECISION REJECTING HIM
            IMPROPERLY: 1) RELIED ON ALLEGED FACTS
            TO WHICH [DEFENDANT] DID NOT PLEAD
            GUILTY; AND 2) RELIED ON OTHER FINDINGS
            OF FACT THAT WERE NOT SUPPORTED BY THE
            RECORD.

      We first consider defendant's argument he is entitled to a remand because

his sentencing attorney failed to assist in the request to withdraw his guilty plea

prior to the judge imposing his sentence. We reject defendant's argument.

      We review a trial judge's decision on a motion to withdraw a guilty plea

for abuse of discretion. State v. O'Donnell, 435 N.J. Super. 351, 372 (App. Div.

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2014). Where there is a motion to withdraw a guilty plea, the trial court must

consider the four factors established in State v. Slater, 198 N.J. 145, 157-58

(2009).

      Here, there was no motion to withdraw defendant's guilty plea. Because

defendant never raised the issue with his attorney prior to appearing at the June

9, 2022 sentencing hearing, defense counsel had no opportunity to prepare such

a motion on defendant's behalf. Defense counsel only learned about defendant's

request to withdraw his guilty plea midway through the sentencing hearing,

during defendant's allocution statement to the judge.

      Although defendant did not file a motion prior to the sentencing hearing,

nothing precludes defendant's filing a formal motion to withdraw his guilty plea

consistent with Rule 3:21-1. Moreover, defendant's claim that his sentencing

attorney failed "to pursue a plea withdrawal motion on [his] behalf" is premature

and best addressed through a petition for post-conviction relief. See State v.

Preciose, 129 N.J. 451, 460-61 (1992).

      Defendant erroneously relies on State v. Hayes, 205 N.J. 522 (2011), and

State v. Barlow, 419 N.J. Super. 527 (App. Div. 2011), in support of his

arguments.   The facts in these cases are distinguishable from the facts in

defendant's matter.

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      The Hayes case involved a request to adjourn a sentencing hearing so the

defendant could secure new, conflict-free counsel to file a motion to withdraw

his guilty pleas. 205 N.J. at 536. The defendant's attorney told the court he

could not ethically pursue a plea withdrawal motion based on a claim of

ineffective assistance of counsel. Ibid. The sentencing judge denied the defense

counsel's request to adjourn the sentencing hearing. Ibid. Our Supreme Court

held the sentencing judge's denial of the defendant's request to adjourn the

sentencing hearing to retain uncompromised counsel to file a motion to

withdraw the guilty pleas was not harmless error. Id. at 540.

      In Barlow, the defendant sent a letter to his attorney one week after the

plea hearing, requesting withdrawal of the guilty plea. 419 N.J. Super. at 531.

When counsel did not file a motion, the defendant wrote to the judge, requesting

the guilty plea be vacated. Ibid. Based on the defendant's written request, the

judge treated the defendant's letter as a motion. Ibid. At the sentencing hearing

in Barlow, the defense counsel disputed the defendant's basis for seeking to

withdraw the guilty plea. Id. at 531-32. Based on the dispute between the

attorney and the defendant as to the reasons for withdrawal of the guilty plea,

we remanded for the assignment of new counsel and a new judge to consider

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whether, in the interest of justice, the defendant should be permitted to withdraw

his guilty plea. Id. at 538.

      Here, defendant's attorney at the sentencing hearing was the same attorney

who represented defendant at the plea hearing. At no time before the plea

hearing, during the plea hearing, or prior to the sentencing hearing did defendant

seek to withdraw his guilty plea. Despite ample opportunity to raise the issue,

defendant first requested "retract[ion]" of his guilty plea in the middle of the

sentencing hearing.     Based on these facts, we discern no deprivation of

defendant's constitutional right to have counsel assist with the filing of a motion

to withdraw the guilty plea.

      We next consider defendant's argument the Recovery Court judge erred in

declaring him ineligible for Recovery Court.        Defendant asserts he never

admitted during the plea hearing to causing the victim to suffer serious bodily

injury or threatening to kill the victim. As a result, defendant claims the facts

relied upon by the Recovery Court judge in deeming him ineligible for Recovery

Court were without basis. We disagree.

      We review a judge's decision to admit or deny admission to Recovery

Court for abuse of discretion. State v. Harris, 466 N.J. Super. 502, 553 (App.

Div. 2021). In determining whether to sentence a defendant to Recovery Court,

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a judge must consider the factors under N.J.S.A. 2C:35-14. Specifically, a judge

is permitted to consider "all relevant circumstances" when deciding the sentence

to be imposed, including a defendant's presentence report under N.J.S.A. 2C:35-

14(a).2

      Here, the presentence report contained a letter from the victim, describing

defendant's attack and her significant injuries as a result of the assault. The

report also included surveillance video from the casino where the attack

occurred and showed defendant struggling with the victim and throwing the

victim to the ground.      The presentence report also provided a history of

defendant's prior criminal activities.

      We discern no abuse of discretion in the Recovery Court judge's reliance

on defendant's presentence report in determining whether he was eligible for

Recovery Court. Based on the presentence report, the Recovery Court judge had

sufficient credible evidence in the record supporting his determination that

defendant was ineligible for Recovery Court.

2
  In fact, the Recovery Court Manual expressly allows judges to consider all
available "sources of criminal information history," including "[p]re-sentence
investigation reports." Admin. Off. of the Cts., New Jersey Statewide Recovery
Court Manual at 9 (Jan. 2022).
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      Additionally, during the plea hearing, the judge specifically asked

defendant the following: "[D]uring the course of committing a theft, did you

use force or commit bodily injury upon [the victim]?" Under oath, defendant

responded, "Yeah."

      Based on the foregoing, we are satisfied the Recovery Court judge relied

on appropriate facts supported by the record to reject defendant's admission to

Recovery Court.

      Affirmed.

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