State of Arkansas v. Frederick David Owens, Jr.

Summary

The court dismissed the State's appeal because the asserted speedy-trial question could not be separated from the unique facts of the case and therefore did not qualify for review under the limited State-appeal rule. The court also stated that Arkansas's speedy-trial jurisprudence is consistent with the constitutional requirement of an ad hoc speedy-trial determination, but it did not reach the merits of the dismissal. Justice Womack, dissenting, would have accepted the appeal and affirmed the circuit court on the merits, concluding that the State presented a purely legal challenge to the speedy-trial rules.