Damien Dickerson v. State of Arkansas
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arkansas
Date FiledAugust 19, 2026
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
Cite as 2026 Ark. App. 359
ARKANSAS COURT OF APPEALS
DIVISION I
No. CR-24-815
DAMIEN DICKERSON Opinion Delivered August 19, 2026
APPELLANT
APPEAL FROM THE FAULKNER
COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT
V. [NO. 23CR-19-987]
STATE OF ARKANSAS HONORABLE H.G. FOSTER, JUDGE
APPELLEE
AFFIRMED IN PART; REVERSED AND
DISMISSED IN PART
RAYMOND R. ABRAMSON, Judge
Damien Dickerson appeals the Faulkner County Circuit Court’s revocation of his
probation. On appeal, Dickerson argues that the circuit court erred by revoking his
probation for criminal mischief because his probation had expired before the State filed its
petition to revoke. We reverse and dismiss the circuit court’s judgment as it relates to
criminal mischief.
On February 25, 2021, Dickerson pled guilty to aggravated assault on a family or
household member, criminal mischief, and failure to appear. He was sentenced to forty-eight
months’ probation for aggravated assault and failure to appear and to twelve months’
probation for criminal mischief. He was fined $1000 and ordered to pay fees and courts
costs.
On May 3, 2022, the State petitioned to revoke Dickerson’s probation for aggravated
assault and failure to appear. The State alleged that Dickerson had evaded supervision, had
not reported a change in residence, had tested positive for illegal substances, and had failed
to pay fines.
On September 9, 2024, the court held a revocation hearing, and it revoked
Dickerson’s probation. On September 13, the court entered a sentencing order, and it
sentenced Dickerson to sixty months’ incarceration for aggravated assault and for failure to
appear. It also sentenced Dickerson to twelve months in the county jail for criminal mischief,
and it checked the box indicating that Dickerson was found guilty and sentenced by the
court. This appeal followed.1
On appeal, Dickerson argues that the circuit court erred by revoking his probation
for criminal mischief because his probation had expired before the State filed the petition to
revoke. We agree.
A circuit court lacks the authority to revoke a defendant’s probation and impose
sentence after the defendant’s period of probation has expired. Wilson v. State, 2017 Ark.
App. 64. Whether a circuit court can revoke probation after the expiration of the probation
period is an issue of jurisdiction. Waldie v. State, 2025 Ark. App. 475, 722 S.W.3d 535.
1
This is the second time this appeal has been before us. Dickerson’s counsel initially
filed a motion to withdraw and a no-merit-brief appeal pursuant to Anders v. California, 386
U.S. 738 (1967), and Arkansas Supreme Court Rule 4-3(b). However, we held that an appeal
of the revocation of Dickerson’s probation for criminal mischief would not be wholly
frivolous and directed counsel to submit an adversarial brief. See Dickerson v. State, 2026 Ark.
App. 7.
2
Although Dickerson did not raise a jurisdictional argument below, whether a circuit court
has jurisdiction to revoke probation is an issue that we may address for the first time on
appeal. Id.
In this case, Dickerson was placed on twelve months’ probation for criminal mischief
on February 25, 2021. His probation expired on February 25, 2022, which was more than
two months before the State filed its petition to revoke on May 3. As such, the circuit court
did not have jurisdiction to revoke Dickerson’s probation for criminal mischief, and we must
reverse and dismiss the circuit court’s judgment as it relates to criminal mischief. See Waldie,
2025 Ark. App. 475, at 6, 722 S.W.3d at 539. We affirm the revocation of Dickerson’s
probation for aggravated assault on a family or household member and failure to appear.
Affirmed in part; reversed and dismissed in part.
THYER and HIXSON, JJ., agree.
Lisa-Marie Norris, for appellant.
Tim Griffin, Att’y Gen., by: Rebecca Kane, Ass’t Att’y Gen., for appellee.
3