State v. Bautista
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The Supreme Court vacated the circuit court's judgment, conviction, and sentence related to sentencing in this case, holding that the circuit court erred by not articulating a clear and comprehensive rationale for each of Defendant's consecutive sentences.
Pursuant to a plea agreement, Defendant pled no contest to three felony counts. The court sentenced Defendant to consecutive five-year terms on each count for a total of fifteen years. The intermediate court of appeals (ICA) affirmed, thus rejecting Defendant's jurisdictional and sentencing challenges. The Supreme Court vacated the ICA's judgment on appeal and the circuit court's judgment related to sentencing and otherwise affirmed, holding (1) if the State files a complaint in district court and that court lawfully commits the case to circuit court then the circuit court has jurisdiction; and (2) the circuit court did not provide adequate independent grounds to impose each consecutive sentence.
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