People v. Bostic
Opinion of the Court
We reject the contention that defendant had an expectation of privacy in the apartment. The tenant consented to the search of the apartment and gave the police several items belonging to defendant. Thus, the police had the "actual consent of a person having or reasonably appearing to have the requisite degree of access to and control over” the apartment, including the bedroom in which defendant allegedly spent one night (People v Henley, 53 NY2d 403, 409 [Cooke, Ch. J., concurring in part and dissenting in part], citing People v Adams, 53 NY2d 1, cert denied 454 US 854; People v Cosme, 48 NY2d 286). There is no question that the tenant had the "apparent capability” to consent to the search of the apartment (People v Adams, 53 NY2d 1, 9, cert denied 454 US 854, supra; see, People v Hardgers, 222 AD2d 1038 [decided herewith]). Unlike the situation in People v Petrie (89 AD2d 910), relied upon by defendant, the bedroom was not set aside for defendant and there is no proof that defendant even stayed in the bedroom. The fact that defendant may have left some items in the bedroom does not give rise to an inference that he had an expectation of privacy in it.
We have considered defendant’s remaining contentions and conclude that they are without merit. (Appeal from Judgment of Steuben County Court, Purple, Jr., J. — Attempted Burglary, 2nd Degree.) Present — Denman, P. J., Lawton, Wesley, Balio and Davis, JJ.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.