A Lincoln County man convicted of possession of a prohibited article failed to convince the Arkansas Court of Appeals that his conviction should be reversed.
Zayzhon Thompson, 28, was serving a prison sentence for multiple crimes in Lincoln County in 2021 when prison officials received information that he was in possession of a cell phone and searched the cell he shared with another inmate.
Prison officials found the phone and a charger and Thompson was charged as a multiple offender with knowingly possessing a prohibited article, the cell phone.
Before a jury trial, Thompson dismissed his court appointed attorney and represented himself, and was found guilty and sentenced to an additional 10 years in prison.
He appealed that conviction, alleging that he was being held illegally on the original charges against him and therefore, could not be charged with the new crime.
The Appels Court disagreed and upheld the conviction and sentence. Thompson will be eligible to apply for parole in 2029.
