Michael Eugene Bradshaw v. State of Arkansas

 Annotate this Case
Download PDF
ARKANSAS SUPREME COURT  No.  CACR 04­510  Opinion Delivered  MICHAEL EUGENE BRADSHAW  Petitioner  February 7, 2008  PRO SE MOTION FOR COPY OF  TRANSCRIPT AT PUBLIC EXPENSE  [CIRCUIT COURT OF GARLAND  COUNTY, CR 2003­152]  v.  STATE OF ARKANSAS  Respondent  MOTION DENIED.  PER CURIAM  In 2003, petitioner Michael Eugene Bradshaw was found guilty by a jury of attempted first­  degree  murder  and  possession of a  firearm by certain persons.  He  was  sentenced  as  a  habitual  offender to eighty years’ imprisonment.  The Arkansas Court of Appeals affirmed.  Bradshaw v.  State, CACR 04­510 (Ark. App. Dec. 15, 2004).  Petitioner, who contends that he is indigent, now seeks a copy of the trial transcript lodged  1  on appeal in order to prove his innocence.  There are no grounds for the request beyond the assertion  that his attorney failed to turn over the transcript from the direct appeal to petitioner.  It appears that petitioner erroneously presumes that his in forma pauperis status on direct  appeal obligates the state to provide him with a copy of the transcript of his trial.  When a record on  direct appeal is prepared at public expense, it is prepared for the purpose of perfecting the appeal.  The record lodged on appeal is not the property of the appellant, and as such, petitioner has no 1  For clerical purposes, the motion has been filed under the docket number assigned to the  direct appeal of the judgment.  absolute right to a personal copy of it.  Furthermore, a petitioner is not entitled to a free copy of material on file with this court unless  he  or  she  demonstrates  some  compelling  need  for  certain  documentary evidence  to  support  an  allegation contained in a timely petition for postconviction relief.  See Austin v. State, 287 Ark. 256,  697  S.W.2d  914  (1985)  (per  curiam).  Indigency  alone  does  not  entitle  a  petitioner  to  free  photocopying.  Washington v. State, 270 Ark. 840, 606 S.W.2d 365 (1980) (per curiam).  Petitioner  here has cited no specific reason for requiring the requested material and has failed to demonstrate  that there is a postconviction remedy available to him.  It should be noted that when an appeal has been lodged in this court, the appeal transcript  remains permanently on file with the clerk.  Persons may review a transcript in the clerk’s office, and  photocopy all or portions of it.  An incarcerated person desiring a photocopy of a transcript on file  may write this court, remit the photocopying fee and request that the copy be mailed to the prison.  All persons, including prisoners, must bear the cost of photocopying.  Moore v. State, 324 Ark. 453,  921 S.W.2d 606 (1996) (per curiam).  Motion denied. ­2­ 

Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.