On Wednesday a Rankin County Court found Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith not guilty of robbery. However, they could not come to an agreement on a verdict for the stalking charge, according to the Associated Press.
The Attorney General’s office again unsuccessfully prosecuted the case and ones before it, including a 2015 charge between Smith and allegations from his former girlfriend Christie Edwards. The robbery charge was linked to the woman’s missing handgun which Smith was accused of taking.
Witnesses reported during the trail that Smith went to a noble home in Pearl and found a man in the closet who was having an affair with Edwards. They made claims that Smith was physically throwing her around and took the gun.
Smith’s lawyers argued that taking the gun away from Edwards was actually him defusing a potentially dangerous situation.
Smith was also acquitted in 2017 for hindering prosecuting after a hung jury saw the case. He was charged with two counts of conspiracy to hinder the AG’s prosecution of drug defendant Christopher Butler and aiding or counseling the defendant.
The Attorney General’s office is now faced with again prosecuting Smith on the unresolved charge.
Sarah Ulmer
