Harp v. State

Appellant pleaded nolo contendere to one count of possession of cocaine and negotiated a sentence for probation, though he and the State disagreed as to the length of the term. At his sentencing hearing, the State introduced certified copies of Georgia judgments of conviction from 1968 and 1969 for a man named Elijah Harp. Appellant denied under oath that the convictions were his, and challenged the State to prove that he was the individual named in the records. The trial court ruled that the certified copies of conviction were sufficient to meet the State’s burden, and imposed a sentence of…