Opinion ID: 1577924
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: issues

Text: Loye raises several complaints concerning her conviction and sentencing. We address only one, as we find it dispositive. The defendant claims her guilty plea was not entered knowingly and intelligently because the court did not fully inform her of the nature of the charges to which she was pleading guilty and the potential penalties. As our subsequent discussion will explain, we find merit in this contention. Because this conclusion requires that Loye's guilty plea be set aside, we need not address her other claims of error concerning her guilty plea nor the alleged illegality of her sentencing. [1] While denying the defendant's plea was uninformed, the State asserts preliminarily that this court does not have jurisdiction of Loye's appeal. The State contends a final judgment was entered on June 21, 2001, and Loye was required to appeal within thirty days from that date. Because Loye's notice of appeal was filed beyond this thirty-day period, her appeal, claims the State, is untimely. In addition, the State claims Loye affirmatively waived her right to appeal at the June hearing. Finally the State contends Loye did not preserve her right to challenge the adequacy of her guilty plea on appeal because she did not challenge her plea in the district court. We first address the issues affecting Loye's right to maintain this appeal, and then discuss the validity of her guilty plea.