Former rep with felony conviction files for AR House seat

LITTLE ROCK, AR - A former state representative with a felony conviction is the last person to file for office before Thursday’s noon deadline. Fred Smith says he's ready to serve his east Arkansas district again in the general assembly but the former Harlem Globetrotter has to dribble out of some legal trouble first.

Of the 273 candidates who filed at the capitol in the last week, Fred Smith is the only one with a known criminal record.

Still he told reporters today, he should be allowed to serve again.

The former state representative signed up as the final candidate filing for House District 50 just before the noon deadline.

"To clear my name, clear a good name and I give God all the glory,” Smith says. “I went through a storm."

Smith resigned in January 2011 from the House after a judge found him guilty of felony theft. He signed the "political practices pledge" today stating he's never been convicted of felony. The form cites a state statute allowing someone to serve if their conviction is set aside.

His attorney trying to get Smith’s record cleared is fellow colleague, Senator David Burnett (D-Osceola).

More widely known as the judge presiding over the controversial West Memphis Three case for 17 years, Burnett filed a motion last week asking circuit judge Sam Pope to remove Smith's conviction.

That hasn't happened just yet, but smith says he has faith it will, calling himself the “Tim Tebow of state representatives” to reporters on Thursday.

"The enemy came to destroy me, the devil come to defeat, God is allowing me to repeat," Smith says.

As of Thursday the Chicot County circuit clerk’s office says judge Pope has not made a decision whether or not to expunge Smith's conviction or not.