The People v. Wallace

The defendant, Edgar Wallace, pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with burglary on May 15, 1968, in the circuit court of St. Clair County. His petition for probation was denied and he was sentenced to a term of from 8 years to 15 years in the penitentiary. He has appealed directly to this court under our Rule 603 (111. Rev. Stat. 1969, ch. 110A, par. 603) alleging that constitutional rights were violated in the proceedings before the trial court.

The defendant contends: (1) his plea of guilty was invalid, since he was not advised of his constitutional right to a bench trial by the…