Clark v. State

Appellant, Christopher Lee Clark, appeals his judgment and sentence, arguing that the trial court abused its discretion by denying his request to represent himself. We agree, reverse the judgment, and remand for further proceedings.

*252Appellant advised the trial court that he was dissatisfied with his appointed counsel and that if he could not have a different lawyer, he would represent himself at trial. A few days prior to trial, the court conducted a Nelson1 hearing which resulted in a ruling that appointed counsel was not ineffective and would not be removed. Next, the same judge conducted a…