Case Name: STATE of Louisiana, Appellee, v. Dennis Wayne FEASTER, Appellant
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 2000-11-01
Citations: 779 So. 2d 761
Docket Number: No. 33,879-KA
Parties: STATE of Louisiana, Appellee, v. Dennis Wayne FEASTER, Appellant.
Judges: Before STEWART, KOSTELKA and DREW, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 779
Pages: 761–763

Head Matter:
STATE of Louisiana, Appellee, v. Dennis Wayne FEASTER, Appellant.
No. 33,879-KA.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.
Nov. 1, 2000.
Indigent Defender Board by: William Rick Warren, Louisiana Appellate Project by: Peggy J. Sullivan, Monroe, Counsel for Appellant.
Richard Ieyoub, Attorney General, James M. Bullers, District Attorney, J. Schuyler Marvin, Assistant District Attorney, Counsel for Appellee.
Before STEWART, KOSTELKA and DREW, JJ.

Opinion:
1,STEWART, J.
The defendant, Dennis Wayne Feaster, was charged with one count of felony theft (shoplifting) and one count of illegal possession of stolen things, in violation of La. R.S. 14:67.10 and La. R.S. 14:69, respec tively. The defendant pled guilty to one count of felony theft in consideration of the state's agreement to dismiss the illegal possession charge. Following a pre-sen-tence investigation, the district court imposed a sentence of four years at hard labor and denied a timely motion to reconsider sentence. Defendant appeals his sentence as excessive. Noting error patent during the guilty plea, we vacate the conviction, set aside the sentence, and remand for further proceedings.
DISCUSSION
The entry of a guilty plea must be a free and voluntary choice on the part of a defendant. State v. Garth, 622 So.2d 1189 (La.App. 2d Cir.1993); State v. Smith, 513 So.2d 544 (La.App. 2d Cir. 1987). A valid guilty plea requires a showing that a felony defendant was informed of and waived his constitutional rights of trial by jury, the confrontation of witnesses, and the privilege against self-incrimination. Boykin v. Alabama, 395 U.S. 238, 89 S.Ct. 1709, 23 L.Ed.2d 274 (1969); State ex rel. Jackson v. Henderson, 260 La. 90, 255 So.2d 85 (1971); State v. Monroe, 25,825 (La.App.2d Cir.3/30/94), 635 So.2d 481.
For guilty pleas entered after August 15, 1997, La.C.Cr.P. art. 556.1 requires the trial court, prior to accepting a guilty plea, to inform the defendant of the right to a trial by jury. The instant guilty plea was entered in June 1999. The district court advised defendant several times that he had a right to trial. However, as indicated by the contemporaneous recording of the guilty plea colloquy, the district court never advised defendant that he had a right to a trial by jury. We note the supreme court's holding in State v. Stiles, 99-1753, 99-1528 (La.5/16/00), 769 So.2d 1158, that deficiencies in the plea colloquy required by La.C.Cr.P. art. 556.1 |2are not subject to error patent review. However, absent a showing that the defendant was informed of and waived his right to trial by jury, the guilty plea is not valid as per the requirements of Boykin, supra.
Because of this serious omission, which neither the prosecutor, the trial defense counsel, nor the appellate defense counsel noted, the guilty plea is invalid. Accordingly, we pretermit discussion of the assigned error. We advise the prosecutor to exercise greater vigilance in noting errors during guilty plea colloquies so as to assist the trial court in completing valid convictions.
DECREE
The conviction of Dennis Wayne Feaster is vacated, and the sentence of four years at hard labor is set aside. The matter is hereby remanded for further proceedings.
CONVICTION VACATED; SENTENCE SET ASIDE; REMANDED.
KOSTELKA, J., concurs with written reasons.
DREW, J., dissents with written reasons.