People v. Smith

Docket No. 86423–Agenda 10–May 1999.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, Appellee, v. ERNESTINE SMITH, Appellant.

Opinion filed November 18, 1999.

At issue in this case is whether the trial court abused its discretion by starting defendant’s trial in her absence without first determining whether she was willfully absent. The defendant, Ernestine Smith, was convicted of unlawful possession of a controlled substance (720 ILCS 570/402(c) (West 1996)) and sentenced to six years’ imprisonment. Defendant appealed her conviction, contending that the trial court abused its discretion and violated her…