In OCCA case No. C 2004-69, McCarroll appealed his conviction for unlawful distribution of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS) and possession of CDS in the presence of a child. In an unpublished decision, the court decided to grant McCarroll's petition for a writ of certiorari. One judge dissented. The case involved Corey Dion McCarroll, who pleaded guilty to multiple charges, which included selling drugs near a daycare center and having drugs while a child was present. McCarroll was sentenced to a total of 60 years in prison, with some hefty fines. After feeling that he didn't get a fair trial and claiming he was innocent, McCarroll asked the judge to let him change his plea. McCarroll raised several reasons for his appeal. He argued that the charges for selling drugs near a daycare didn't apply because the law was not in effect at the time of his actions. He believed that his guilty pleas were not entered knowingly, and he felt the judge was unfair in giving him consecutive sentences, which made them seem too harsh. McCarroll also claimed that his lawyer didn't represent him properly. The court reviewed all the details of the case and decided favorably for McCarroll. They found that the law didn't fully apply to his situation when he was charged with the first two counts. Therefore, the court changed these charges to a different type of drug offense that was valid at that time. They also modified the sentences, stating that some of them should run at the same time (concurrently) rather than one after the other (consecutively). Overall, while the court granted McCarroll some relief in his appeal by changing the charges and modifying the sentences, they did not agree that his lawyer's help was inadequate enough for his plea to be withdrawn. Thus, the decisions were adjusted to ensure fairness while still holding McCarroll accountable.
