Howard v. State

RUFFIN, Presiding Judge.

After a jury found Christopher E. Howard guilty of one count of possessing cocaine with intent to distribute and one count of possessing marijuana, 1 the trial court sentenced Howard to 40 years, with 25 to serve. On appeal, Howard contends that the trial court erred in failing to conduct the presentence hearing in the presence of the jury as required by OCGA § 17-10-2 (c). Howard also asserts that he received ineffective assistance of trial counsel. For reasons that follow, we affirm.

Viewed in a light most favorable to the jury’s verdict, 2 the evidence shows that…