Green v. State

PER CURIAM. In an indictment filed in the Criminal Court of Baltimore (now the Circuit Court for Baltimore City), the petitioner was charged with murder. The appearance of his counsel was entered on August 3,1981; therefore the 180-day period for bringing the case to trial, prescribed by Maryland Code (1957, 1982 Rep.Vol.), Art. 27, § 591, and Rule 746, expired on January 30, 1982. Following an earlier postponement, the trial was scheduled for January 18, 1982.

On January 18, 1982, the designated administrative judge found good cause to postpone the case and granted a postponement. The underlying reasons for the postponement, as set forth in the Court of Special Appeals’ opinion in this case (State v. Green, 54 Md.App. 260, 262 , 458 A.2d 487 (1983)), were as follows: “On January 10, 1982, just over a week before the scheduled trial, a law clerk from the Public Defender’s Office contacted the Assistant State’s Attorney assigned to the case. She informed him that the appellee would consider accepting a guilty plea in the instant case upon the following two conditions: (1) he did not want to testify against anyone; and (2) he did not want to have to admit to the murder. The Assistant State’s Attorney acquiesced and indicated that he would proceed on the guilty plea.

He then contacted the witnesses summoned for the January 18, 1982 trial and informed