A Little Rock man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in connection with a 2024 crash that killed a Maumelle man.
According to Arkansas State Police, 26-year-old Anthony B. Smith was sentenced Thursday in the death of 27-year-old Clifford James Griffin of Maumelle.
The case stems from a pursuit that began during the early morning hours of Sept. 19, 2024. Benton police were pursuing Smith and requested assistance from Arkansas State Police.
Investigators said Smith traveled eastbound on Interstate 30 at speeds exceeding 125 mph, passed through a construction zone at more than 100 mph and drove the wrong direction on portions of I-30, I-430 and an exit ramp.
An Arkansas State Police trooper attempted to stop Smith’s BMW using a tactical vehicle intervention, but the vehicle continued onto I-430.
Authorities said Smith was traveling the wrong direction on I-430 near Colonel Glenn Road when his BMW collided head-on with a 2018 Jeep driven by Griffin. Griffin died at the scene.
Pulaski County Circuit Judge Karen Whatley sentenced Smith to 25 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
Under the Protect Arkansas Act, Smith will be required to serve 100 percent of the 25-year sentence. The sentence will run consecutively to a 10-year sentence he previously received in Saline County.
Smith was also sentenced to five years of supervised release following completion of his prison sentence.
