Haynes v. State

JAMES, J.,

FOR THE COURT:

¶ 1. Derrick Haynes appeals his conviction after a trial in absentia in the Circuit Court of Leake County, Mississippi. Finding error, we reverse and remand for a new trial.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

¶ 2. Haynes was indicted in the Circuit Court of Leake County as a habitual offender on one count of possession of a cell phone in a private correctional facility under Mississippi Code Annotated section 47-5-193 (Rev. 2015). The circuit court set Haynes’s trial for September 11, 2014.

¶ 3. When the case was first called on the morning of trial, Haynes was not present.…