As attorney general, Jim Hood pursued criminal charges against Robert Shuler Smith that resulted in three trials between December 2016 and September 2018. Each trial resulted in a mistrial or an acquittal. In the first two trials, Smith was charged with hindering a criminal prosecution, and in the third trial he was charged with robbery and aggravated stalking. In December 2016, Hood's office tried Smith on charges of hindering the criminal prosecution of Christopher Butler. The prosecution alleged that Smith assisted Butler in getting drug possession charges against him dropped in exchange for bribes. An assistant district attorney from Smith's office pleaded guilty to similar charges and testified against Smith. The judge declared a mistrial after discovering one of the jurors misrepresented himself. Smith was tried on the charges again in August 2017, and the jury acquitted him. In September 2018, Hood's office tried Smith on charges that he abused, threatened, and robbed his ex-girlfriend, Christie Edwards, in August 2015. The jury acquitted Smith on robbery charges but was undecided on aggravated stalking charges. Domestic violence charges were included in a separate indictment, giving Hood's office the option of pursuing them later on. Smith's lawyers argued that Edwards' allegations were politically motivated and that she had been attempting to derail his 2015 re-election campaign. After announcing his run for governor, Smith said he believed the prosecutions against him were racially and politically motivated. He said, “I think they were intimidated or afraid that I might become a candidate for some office some day. It doesn’t make any sense to try to frame someone and then, thank God we found the evidence, if there was a legitimate investigation he wouldn’t even be in this race.” If you are aware of comments Jim Hood has made related to these trials, please email us at .