Ex Parte Looney

Joe Looney, Jr., pleaded guilty to the unlawful distribution of a controlled substance (cocaine), in violation of § 13A-12-212, Ala. Code 1975, and was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment. The Court of Criminal Appeals, by an unpublished memorandum of June 23, 2000, affirmed the conviction and the sentence. Looney v. State (No. CR-98-2461) ___ So.2d ___ (Ala.Crim.App. 2000) (table). We granted Looney's petition for certiorari review. We reverse and remand.

Looney raises several issues; however, we need to address only one, an issue he raises here for the first time: Whether the trial court had…