Ex Parte Cassady

Petitioner Ronnie Cassady was indicted in Mobile County on three separate charges of selling illicit drugs, in violation of Code 1975, § 20-2-70, the Alabama Uniform Controlled Substances Act. The charges were consolidated for trial and the jury convicted Cassady on all three counts. The trial court, based on the jury's recommendation, assessed a fine of $25,000 per conviction and sentenced petitioner to life imprisonment because of his status as a habitual offender under Code 1975, § 13A-5-9.

Cassady claims that his trial on these charges breached a negotiated plea agreement with the Mobile…