Case Name: STATE of Louisiana, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Titus CLAY, Defendant-Appellant
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1998-05-13
Citations: 714 So. 2d 123
Docket Number: No. 30770-KA
Parties: STATE of Louisiana, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Titus CLAY, Defendant-Appellant.
Judges: Before MARVIN, C.J., and NORRIS and BROWN, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 714
Pages: 123–125

Head Matter:
STATE of Louisiana, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Titus CLAY, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 30770-KA.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.
May 13, 1998.
John M. Lawrence, Indigent Defender Board, for Defendant-Appellant.
Richard Ieyoub, Attorney General, James M. Bullers, District Attorney, J. Spencer Hays, II, Assistant District Attorney, for Plaintiff-Appellee.
Before MARVIN, C.J., and NORRIS and BROWN, JJ.

Opinion:
| iNORRIS, Judge.
The state charged Titus M. Clay with intentional distribution of Cocaine, a Schedule II Controlled Dangerous Substance, in contravention of La. R.S. 40:967 A. Clay pled guilty as charged and was sentenced to serve a seven year term of imprisonment at hard labor with credit for time served. Pursuant to an out-of-time appeal, Clay assigns as error the District Court's imposition of an excessive sentence. Because we find error patent on the record, we pretermit discussion of the assigned error. Based on the rationale of State v. Hill, 30,552 (La.App. 2 Cir. 5/13/98), 714 So.2d 814, decided this day, we reverse.
Law and Analysis
Deficiencies in the guilty plea colloquy are errors patent and the reviewing court is bound to recognize them. State v. Powell, 28,173 (La.App. 2 Cir. 5/8/96), 674 So.2d 1057; La.C.Cr.P. art. 920(2). The entry of a guilty plea must be a free and voluntary choice on the part of a defendant. State v. Carter, 619 So.2d 82 (La.App. 2 Cir.1993). For a guilty plea to be considered voluntarily and knowingly entered, the trial court should apprise the defendant of the possible sentence ranges for the offense to which he plead guilty. State v. Hill, supra; State v. Cassels, 21,221 (La.App. 2 Cir. 11/1/95), 662 So.2d 861. The requirement of such advice includes the defendant's understanding of both the maximum and minimum sentence he faces by pleading guilty and any other direct sentencing consequences from his plea. State ex rel. LaFleur v. Donnelly, 416 So.2d 82 (La.1982); State v. Cassels, supra. However, the judge is not required to specifically inform the defendant of the possible penalties as long as there is an affirmative showing on the record that the defendant knew of the possible penalties. State v. Bradford, 627 So.2d 781 (La.App. 2 Cir.1993) writ denied, 94-0006 (La.4/22/94), 637 So.2d 154.
_|_2_In the instant case, the District Court failed to specifically inform Clay that the charge pled to carried a mandatory minimum sentence of five years at hard labor. There is no affirmative showing in the record that Clay was counseled as to the minimum sentence to which he was exposed by his guilty plea. Accordingly, we are constrained to hold that the guilty plea was not a free and voluntary choice on the part of the defendant.
Conclusion
Both the guilty plea and conviction are vacated, and the sentence is set aside with the matter remanded for further proceed-' ings.
GUILTY PLEA AND CONVICTION VACATED, SENTENCE SET ASIDE AND REMANDED FOR FURTHER PROCEEDINGS.
BROWN, J., dissents with reasons.