P. v. Rawls
Defendant Delray K. Rawls pled nolo contendere to robbery, false imprisonment, property crimes and controlled substances crimes and admitted several firearms enhancements. Before sentencing, defendant asked the court to discharge his retained counsel and appoint substitute counsel (motion for substitute counsel) to explore a motion to withdraw his no contest pleas. The trial court asked for defendants reasons for withdrawing the pleas and then denied the not yet formally made withdrawal motion. The motion for substitute counsel was not addressed. The court sentenced defendant to a prison term of 16 years, four months. The judgment is reversed and the matter is remanded to the superior court for proceedings consistent with this opinion.
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