State v. Smith

Annabelle Clinton Imber, Justice.

In this case, the State of Arkansas (“State”) appeals the circuit court’s order granting Appellee Roshonda Smith’s (“Smith”) Rule 37 petition for postconviction relief. Smith was convicted by a jury of first-degree battery and sentenced to a term of 180 months in prison and a fine of $7,500. The Arkansas Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction on direct appeal in Smith v. State, 90 Ark. App. 261, 205 S.W.3d 173 (2005).

Pursuant to Rule 37 of the Arkansas Rules of Criminal Procedure, Smith filed a petition for postconviction relief in the circuit court,…