Hammonds v. State

Hammonds appeals his conviction 17of abuse of a corpse. The majority would reverse and dismiss the jury’s verdict. However, I disagree. Sitting on the en banc panel, I would certify this case to the Arkansas Supreme Court as an appeal involving an issue of first impression, one needing further clarification in our case law, and more significantly, a substantial question of law concerning the interpretation of “[pjhysically mistreats a corpse in a manner offensive to a person of reasonable sensibilities,” found in Arkansas Code Annotated section 5-60-101(a) (Repl.2005). See Ark. Sup.Ct. R.…