Case Title: Mark Latta v. State of Arkansas

Citation: 

Docket Number: 

State: arkansas

Court: Arkansas Supreme Court

Date: 2002-12-05T00:00:00Z

Document:
ARKANSAS SUPREME COURT NOT DESIGNATED FOR PUBLICATION PER CURIAM DECEMBER 5, 2002 MARK LATTA Petitioner v. STATE OF ARKANSAS Respondent CACR 00-910 PRO SE MOTION FOR PHOTOCOPY OF TRANSCRIPT AT PUBLIC EXPENSE [CIRCUIT COURT OF GARLAND COUNTY, NO. CR 98-390-I] MOTION DENIED Mark Latta was found guilty of manufacturing a controlled substance and sentenced to fifteen years' imprisonment. The court of appeals affirmed. Latta v. State, CACR 00-910 (Ark. App. May 30, 2001). Petitioner Latta, who contends that he is indigent, now seeks at public expense a copy, or use of a copy, of the transcript lodged on appeal so that the trial court may decide issued raised in a Rule 37 petition, which has presumably been filed there.1 As grounds for the request, petitioner lists several issues that he has raised in the Rule 37 petition. The motion for transcript is denied. A petitioner is not entitled to photocopying at public expense unless he or she demonstrates some compelling need for specific documentary evidence to support an allegation contained in a petition for postconviction relief. Moore v. State, 324 Ark. 453, 921 S.W.2d 606 (1996); See Austin v. State, 287 Ark. 256, 697 S.W.2d 914 (1985). Indigency alone does not entitle a petitioner to photocopying at public expense. Washington v. State, 270 Ark. 840, 606 S.W.2d 365 (1980). Petitioner has not demonstrated that there is a compelling need for specific documentary evidence to support an allegation in a petition for postconviction relief. As a result, he has failed to show that the transcript lodged on appeal should be provided to him at no cost. As to petitioner's request that he be allowed access to the transcript for a period of time, this court does not permit non-attorneys to remove transcripts from the files of appeal transcripts maintained by our clerk. It should be noted that when an appeal has been lodged in either this court or the court of appeals, the appeal transcript remains permanently on file with the clerk. Persons may review a transcript in the clerk's office and photocopy all or portions of it. An incarcerated person desiring a photocopy of a transcript on file may write this court and request that the copy be mailed to the prison. All persons, including prisoners, must bear the cost of photocopying. Moore v. State, supra. Motion denied. 1 For clerical purposes, the motion has been filed under the docket number assigned to the direct appeal of the judgment which was lodged in the court of appeals. This court decides motions for transcript because such motions are considered to be requests for postconviction relief. See Williams v. State, 273 Ark. 315, 619 S.W.2d 628 (1981).