Opinion ID: 1798829
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the court erred in refusing a request for a second change of venue.

Text: The appellant filed a timely motion for a second change of venue in which he insisted that the trial be removed from the Twelfth Judicial District to some place outside the primary news coverage of Fort Smith and Van Buren. The court could have granted a change of venue to any county adjacent to Crawford County, either inside or outside the Twelfth Judicial District. Cockrell v. Dobbs, Judge, 238 Ark. 348, 381 S.W.2d 756 (1964). However, there was no request by the appellant for a change to any specific county other than Sebastian. In any event, the matter is without merit because the record clearly shows that the jury selected was unbiased. A change of venue lies within the discretion of the trial court. If the court determines that the appellant can receive a fair trial by an impartial jury, there is no prejudice regardless of the location of the trial. Foster v. State, 275 Ark. 427, 631 S.W.2d 7 (1982). An examination of the record in this case reveals that each of the jurors stated they could give the appellant a fair trial and that they would be guided by the instructions of the trial court. Therefore, we do not find that under these circumstances the trial court abused its discretion.