State of Missouri vs. Woolery
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The case involves Robert Anthony Woolery, who was convicted of two counts of delivery of a controlled substance. In 2021, the Sedalia police department identified Woolery as a subject of interest in their investigation into low-to-mid-level drug dealers. The police organized two "controlled buys" from Woolery, using a confidential informant. The transactions were recorded, and the informant produced a bag containing methamphetamine after each buy. Woolery was subsequently charged and convicted.
Woolery appealed his conviction, raising five points. He argued that the circuit court erred in not appointing counsel at his initial appearance, in not preserving a transcript or recording of his arraignment, in sentencing him to imprisonment rather than ordering a mental examination, and in overruling his motion to suppress evidence. He also claimed that the detectives lacked authority to respond to emergency situations outside the Sedalia city limits.
The Supreme Court of Missouri affirmed the circuit court's decision. The court found that Woolery was not entitled to counsel during his initial appearance and arraignment, either through Rule 31.02(a) or the Sixth Amendment. The court also found that the absence of a transcript or recording of Woolery’s November 15 appearance did not hamper its ability to meaningfully review the points raised by Woolery. The court further held that Woolery failed to establish that manifest injustice or a miscarriage of justice resulted from his sentencing. Finally, the court found that Woolery's claim regarding the denial of his motion to suppress was not preserved for appellate review.
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