Jermaine Lawson v. State of Arkansas

── Jermaine Lawson v. State of Arkansas ── Court: Court of Appeals of Arkansas Date: May 13, 2026 Category: General Cite as 2026 Ark. App. 292 ARKANSAS COURT OF APPEALS DIVISION III No. CR-25-183 JERMAINE LAWSON Opinion Delivered May 13, 2026 APPELLANT APPEAL FROM THE CLARK COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT V. [NO. 10CR-21-15] STATE OF ARKANSAS HONORABLE BLAKE BATSON, APPELLEE JUDGE AFFIRMED RAYMOND R. ABRAMSON, Judge A Clark County Circuit Court jury convicted Jermaine Lawson (“Lawson”) of possession of a firearm by certain persons, simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), possession of a controlled substance (cocaine), fleeing, and possession of a controlled substance (marijuana). He was sentenced as a habitual offender to a total of 780 months in the Arkansas Division of Correction, and his convictions were affirmed by the Arkansas Supreme Court on appeal. 1 This appeal stems from the circuit court’s denial of Lawson’s subsequent Rule 37 petition for postconviction relief. We affirm. 1 We certified this case to the Arkansas Supreme Court according to Rule 1-2(a)(7) of the Rules of the Arkansas Supreme Court because it is a second or subsequent appeal. However, the supreme court declined to accept jurisdiction and remanded the case, without opinion, to this court for decision.  I. Background On January 27, 2021, the State charged Lawson with a number of drug and firearm offenses. The charges arose from a January 12, 2021 traffic stop. On August 23, 2022, the court held a jury trial. Lawson was represented by Ronald L. Davis and Cara Boyd Connors at trial. The State presented evidence that an officer initiated a traffic stop on Lawson for driving 85 miles an hour in a 25-mile-an-hour zone. The officer testified that after he activated his lights, Lawson escalated to speeds of 110 to 115 miles an hour. Lawson drove for three miles before stopping, at which point the officer arrested Lawson. During a search, the officer discovered a loaded handgun in Lawson’s waistband, and he found a bag of cocaine, a bag of methamphetamine, and a bag of marijuana in his pants. Another officer who interviewed Lawson following his arrest testified that Lawson admitted he should not have had a firearm. A chemist with the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory testified that the bags found on Lawson contained 6.0433 grams of cocaine; 3.5782 grams of methamphetamine; and 6.106 grams of marijuana. Lawson was convicted of five felonies arising out of this instance: simultaneous possession of drugs and a firearm, possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), possession of a controlled substance (cocaine), possession of firearms by certain persons (“felon in possession of a firearm”), and fleeing. He was also convicted of misdemeanor marijuana possession. Lawson filed a direct appeal challenging his convictions. On direct appeal, the sole issue was whether the circuit court abused its discretion by admitting certified copies of Lawson’s prior convictions. Lawson v. State, 2024 Ark. App. 91, at 4, 684 S.W.3d 917, 920, 2 review granted (Apr. 18, 2024), vacated, 2024 Ark. 143, 697 S.W.3d 529 (2024). This court originally reversed and remanded the case, finding that the circuit court had abused its discretion pursuant to the holding in Old Chief v. United States, 519 U.S. 172 (1997). The Arkansas Supreme Court then granted review of the case and vacated this court’s opinion, holding that the error was harmless and affirming Lawson’s con