Staples v. State

WISE, Judge.

Robert Marshall Staples was convicted of one count of second-degree arson, a violation of § 13A-7-42, Ala.Code 1975. He was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment. However, pursuant to the Split Sentence Act, § 15-18-8, Ala.Code 1975, Staples’s sentence was suspended, and he was ordered to serve 18 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised probation. He was also ordered to pay a $50 assessment to the crime victims compensation fund, all court costs, and perform 120 hours of community service upon his release from incarceration.

Staples’s trial began on September 12, 2005,…