State v. Hernandez

The defendant, an unmarried, seventeen-year-old girl, was charged in the Circuit Court with being in manifest danger of falling into habits of vice. General Statutes § 17-379. She was represented by a public defender, who demurred to the information on the ground that the language of § 17-379 is so vague and uncertain as to render the statute unconstitutional on its face. The demurrer was overruled and, when the defendant refused to plead over, the court, suo motu, ordered a plea of not guilty entered on her behalf. Thereafter, the court, despite the entry of a not guilty plea, and without…