State v. Ruffin

STEELMAN, Judge.

Where defense counsel informed the trial court that defendant had decided to reject a plea offer and proceed to trial on a charge of first-degree rape, the trial court’s failure to inform defendant of the increased maximum sentence for second-degree rape under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-1340.17(f) was not error. The trial court did not err in allowing the prosecutor to cross-examine defendant about prior out of state criminal convictions or in denying defendant’s motion to dismiss the charge of second-degree rape for insufficient evidence.

I. Factual and Procedural Background

In…