The PEOPLE v. King

Defendant, Maurice King, was indicted in a one-count indictment charging him with the unlawful sale of narcotics. Defendant pleaded not guilty to this charge. Later he waived a jury, withdrew his plea of not guilty, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of narcotics, and was sentenced to a term of five to eight years in the penitentiary. He subsequently petitioned for a hearing under the Post-Conviction Hearing Act. On motion of the People the petition was dismissed for failure to raise a constitutional issue. Defendant appeals from this dismissal on the ground that his constitutional rights…