People v. Saunders

Following a bench trial, the defendant, James Saunders, was convicted of battery, and sentenced to a term of 5 months at the State Penal Farm at Vandalia, Illinois. On appeal, the defendant contends that he was denied his right to counsel at critical stages of the proceedings, and that therefore, his conviction should be reversed and remanded for a new trial. After a careful examination of the record on appeal, we conclude that the defendant knowingly and intelligently waived his right to counsel after being informed of this right by the trial court. We therefore affirm the judgment of…