METH MAKER ONE OF LAST TO SERVE UNDER 70 PERCENT LAW

BENTONVILLE -- Ronnie Lee Smith may be one of the last people in Benton
County to be required to serve 70 percent of his prison sentence for
committing methamphetamine-related offenses.

In July, a jury found Smith guilty of possession of drug paraphernalia with
the intent to manufacture, a class B felony punishable with five to 20
years in prison. The jury recommended that Smith serve 15 years. He would
be required to serve 70 percent of the sentence before he is eligible for
parole. "He (Smith) will be one of the last people sentenced under the 70
percent law," Deputy Prosecutor Drew Ledbetter said. "There will be a few
more, but he's one of the last major ones."

People arrested after Aug. 1 for methamphetamine-related offenses will no
longer be required to serve 70 percent of their sentences before they are
eligible for parole.

It was a law changed by the Arkansas Legislature during its last session.
Parole eligibility in those cases now begin after people serve 50 percent
of their sentences.

Smith, 36, was arrested Feb. 20, 2003, and charged with possession of drug
paraphernalia with intent to manufacture methamphetamine. He was also
arrested July 11, 2003, and charged with possession of a controlled
substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was arrested a third
time on Nov. 9, 2004, and charged with manufacturing a controlled substance.

Ledbetter, who was assigned Smith's cases, decided to try the earliest
arrest first. The jury found Smith guilty.

Instead of having trials on the other two cases, Ledbetter reached an
agreement with Smith's attorney, Bruce Bennett.

Smith agreed to plead guilty to the charges in each case. He would be
sentenced to 20 years in prison under the 70 percent rule.

Circuit Judge Tom Keith accepted Smith's guilty plea and followed the
sentencing recommendation.

Smith was sentenced to 20 years. He must serve at least 14 years before he
is eligible for parole. After his release, he must also abide by a
suspended sentence agreement for 10 years.

The judge ordered Smith to participate in the prison's longterm
drug-treatment program. Smith received credit for 281 days he spent in jail
awaiting trial. He was ordered to pay $150 in court costs, a $1,000 fine
and a $250 DNA-fund fee.

Ledbetter expects the 70 percent rule to apply to a few more cases.

Ledbetter described Smith as a major methamphetamine manufacturer in the
county. The man's arrests were a result of teamwork by Arkansas State
Police and the Benton County Sheriff's Office, along with Rogers,
Bentonville and Lowell police. "If it had not been for a collaborative
(effort), we would not have been able to convict Ronnie Smith," Ledbetter said.