People v. Haynes

Defendant appeals from a sentence of 5-14 years on a plea of guilty to the crime of forgery. In this court, defendant asserts the following errors: (a) That the indictment is fatally defective; (b) that the trial court should not have accepted a plea of guilty without determining defendant’s mental competence, and (c) the punishment is excessive.

The indictment is said to be fatally defective because it does not comply with article VI, § 33, of the Constitution of 1870 requiring that all process shall begin “In the name and by the authority of the People of the State of Illinois,” and conclude…