State ex rel. J.D.

hi respectfully dissent.

Although the juvenile defendant did not assign as error the insufficiency of evidence to sustain his adjudication, “[w]hen the state’s case is devoid of evidence of an essential element of the charged offense, the conviction and sentence must be set aside ‘regardless of how the error is brought to the attention of the reviewing court.’” State v. Thacker, 14-0418, p. 2 (La.10/24/14), 150 So.3d 296, 297 (quoting State v. Raymo, 419 So.2d 858, 861 (La. 1982)). While I recognize that insufficiency of evidence is not an error patent on the face of the record, it also must…