Ex Parte LaPointe

We granted the petition of Jonathan LaPointe for a writ of certiorari to review the Court of Criminal Appeals' dismissal, by an unpublished memorandum, of LaPointe's attempted appeal from the Henry Circuit Court's denial of his application for youthful-offender status, followed by his plea of guilty to the offense of first-degree sexual abuse, pursuant to a plea agreement. LaPointe v. State, 926 So.2d 1054 (Ala.Crim.App. 2004) (Cobb and Shaw, JJ., dissenting). The pivotal issue is whether LaPointe preserved for appellate review, in connection with the guilty-plea proceedings, the issue of the…