People v. Torres

Defendant, Ramon Torres, appeals his convictions of theft (720 ILCS 5/16 — 1(a)(4)(A) (West 1994)) and attempted retail theft (720 ILCS 5/8 — 4(a), 16A — 3(a) (West 1992)). Defendant contends that his convictions must be vacated because the stipulated bench trial was tantamount to a guilty plea and the trial court failed to admonish him in accordance with Supreme Court Rule 402 (134 Ill. 2d R. 402). We affirm.

On March 3, 1994, the State charged defendant by information with theft and attempted retail theft. Following a preliminary hearing, the theft charge was dismissed. On April 28, 1994,…