People v. Jones

Following a jury trial, defendant Jerome Jones was convicted of the offense of retail theft in excess of $150, a violation of section 16A — 3(a) of the Illinois Criminal Code of 1961 (720 ILCS 5/16A — 3(a) (West 1992)), and sentenced to four years in prison. Defendant appeals his conviction, contending (1) he was denied his right to counsel of his choice, (2) the trial court erred in admitting the investigating police officer’s testimony that he recognized defendant because that testimony served no other purpose than to suggest to the jury that defendant had a prior criminal record, and (3)…