People v. Askew

Following a bench trial, defendant, Thomas Askew, was found guilty of possession of a controlled substance. At the sentencing hearing on July 16, 2001, the trial court sentenced defendant to an extended-term sentence of four years in prison, based on defendant’s prior convictions.

On appeal, defendant does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence that led to his conviction. Instead, he argues that the trial court improperly imposed an . extended-term sentence based on his prior convictions, because: (1) the trial court did not find the existence of his prior convictions beyond a…