Williams v. State

Birdsong, Presiding Judge.

Dewight Williams was convicted by a jury of one count of violating the Georgia Controlled Substances Act by possession of cocaine and sentenced to serve eight years in prison. On appeal he contends that the trial court’s failure to require the prosecutor to declare ready or not ready for trial as directed by OCGA § 17-7-172, operated to deny him due process of law by depriving him of the opportunity to change his plea from not guilty to guilty. Held:

The record reveals that Williams was arraigned on March 11, 1991, and his appointed counsel entered a plea of not…