Rashad Dewayne Seay, Jr. v. State of Tennessee

A Wilson County jury convicted the Petitioner, Rashad Dewayne Seay, Jr., of two counts of the sale of .5 grams or more of a Schedule II controlled substance, and the trial court sentenced him to consecutive sentences of eighteen years for each offense.  The Petitioner timely filed a petition for post-conviction relief, which the court summarily dismissed as untimely.  On appeal, we reversed the summary dismissal.  Rashad Dewayne Seay, Jr. v. State, No. M2017-01128-CCA-R3-PC, 2018 WL 3203442, at *1 (Tenn. Crim. App., at Nashville, June 29, 2018), no perm. app. filed.  On remand, the post-conviction court held an evidentiary hearing after which it filed a written order denying the Petitioner relief.  On appeal, the Petitioner contends that the post-conviction court erred because his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to ensure the Petitioner was present during the jury instructions, failing to ensure that the jury was properly instructed, failing to adequately investigate and prepare an identification expert, and failing to inform the Petitioner of the consequences of withdrawing his direct appeal.  After review, we affirm the post-conviction court’s judgment.