Commonwealth v. Hayes

LEIBSON, Justice.

This case reads like a plot to a comedy of errors by Shakespeare. It presents a series of extraordinary procedural blunders which will unfold during the course of this opinion, revealed not by the record on appeal, but by review of events that have transpired since the judgment. The mystery could only be unraveled by review of the record compiled in the Circuit Court after sentencing occurred.

The appellee, Joe E. Hayes, was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance (dilaudid), for which he was sentenced to a $10,000 fine, no imprisonment. Further, he was convicted as…