Quenton Vernard Jones, Appellant v. State of Arkansas, Appellee

Summary

The court affirmed the denial of Jones’s post-conviction petition alleging that counsel’s deficient advice induced him to plead guilty. Applying the deferential clear-error standard, the court held that the circuit court adequately addressed the evidence and correctly required Jones to show both deficient performance and a reasonable probability that he would have rejected the plea and gone to trial. The court deferred to the circuit court’s credibility determination crediting counsel’s account over Jones’s contrary testimony.