Smith has been a rival and, he claims a target, of Attorney General Jim Hood’s office in recent years. Stan Alexander, a Hood prosecutor, challenged Smith in 2005 for the Hinds County DA post. Hood unsuccessfully tried Smith on three occasions for various criminal charges. Hood tried Smith three times on various criminal charges. Once in Rankin County for aggravated assault and robbery, and twice again in Hinds County for conspiracy hinder prosecution. Smith still faces two domestic violence charges that the state may pursue. Smith claims that he believes that the cases brought against Hood by the attorney general were motivated politically and racially. The state could pursue these charges._x000D