Rawls v. State

John I. Purtle, Justice.

On March 23, 1978, appellant appeared in open court with his appointed counsel (public defender) and entered a plea of nolo contendere. He executed a plea statement wherein he affirmed his understanding of the nature of the charges against him, the possible penalties, and that he waived the right to a jury trial. The record shows the court adequately informed him of the full consequences of such plea and, in fact, stated it amounted to a plea of guilty.

At no time did appellant allege he was innocent. In fact, he apparently freely admitted he had committed rape and…