State v. Taylor

¶1 John Taylor was convicted of theft of a trailer in the District Court of the Tenth Judicial District, Petroleum County. He appeals. We restate and discuss the issues raised as follows:

¶2 1. Did the District Court commit plain error by failing to sua sponte declare a mistrial or change the place of trial?

¶3 2. Did the District Court err in denying Taylor’s challenge to a prospective juror?

¶4 3. Does the record on direct appeal show that Taylor’s trial counsel was ineffective?

BACKGROUND

¶5 Taylor is the former sheriff of Petroleum County, which is Montana’s least populated county. According…