State v. Huntley

I concur with the majority as to Count I of the indictment, but I must dissent as to Count II.

Rule 7(c) of the Maine Rules of Criminal Procedure provides that an “indictment or ... information shall be a plain, concise and definite written statement of the essential facts constituting the offense charged.” It was adopted in order to simplify criminal pleading, to reduce the ornate complexity of pleading at common law. M.R.Crim.P. 7 reporter’s notes. There is no mechanical test for determining the sufficiency of an indictment, but our appraisal must be governed by practical rather than…