State v. Salvetti, 202 N.C. App. 18 (Jan. 19, 2010)

The defendant, who had entered an Alford plea, was not prejudiced by the trial judge’s failure to inform him of his right to remain silent, the maximum possible sentence, and that if he pleaded guilty he would be treated as guilty even if he did not admit guilt. (In addition to the trial court’s failure to verbally inform the defendant of the maximum sentence, a worksheet attached to the signed Transcript of Plea form incorrectly stated the maximum sentence as 89 months; the correct maximum was 98 months). The court further held that based on the questions that were posed, the trial judge properly determined that the plea was a product of the defendant’s informed choice.