State v. Thomson

The Defendant contends the trial court erred in finding he voluntarily waived his right to be present after trial had begun, and then proceeding with trial in his absence. The Defendant argues the court should not have proceeded without finding that the public interest in proceeding outweighed his interest in attending. The Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court. We also affirm.

Background

In November 1990, Appellant Christopher Thomson, and codefendant Brock Rasmussen, were charged with one count of delivery of cocaine. On April 3, 1991, Thomson and Rasmussen appeared in court with their…