James Clark Blanton, III v. State of Tennessee

A Davidson County grand jury indicted the petitioner, James Clark Blanton, III, of two counts of especially aggravated robbery, two counts of especially aggravated kidnapping, and one count of coercion of a witness. The petitioner pled guilty to two counts of especially aggravated robbery with an agreement that he would serve two concurrent sentences of fifteen years each at 100%. The petitioner filed a post-conviction petition alleging that he received ineffective assistance of counsel. The post-conviction court held an evidentiary hearing to determine the merits of the petitioner's claim and subsequently denied the petition in a written order. The petitioner now appeals that denial. After reviewing the petitioner's claims and the evidence presented at the post-conviction hearing, we find that none of his allegations merit relief.