An attorney for Dr. R. Arnold Smith has asked that the court delay his client's Nov. 8 trial until later to allow for preparation.
Smith, of 1301 Grand Blvd., was indicted by a Leflore County grand jury in July and accused of two counts of fondling. He pleaded not guilty to the indictment. He was freed on $10,000 bond.
Smith is an oncologist who owns the North Central Mississippi Regional Cancer Center. He was arrested last year and accused of molesting his own daughters.
A statement released today by one of Smith's attorneys, Rick Mitchell of Jackson, states the criminal charges are false and were originally made by his ex-wife during a bitter child support and visitation contest that began in 1996 divorce proceedings in Leflore County Chancery Court.
The ex-wife, Sara Smith, "has brought them up again now in an attempt to give her leverage in her fight for more money and over child visitation," the attorney said in the statement released on the physician's behalf.
Sara Smith lives in Jackson with the children.
"Dr. Smith vigorously denies these false charges and will defend against them vigorously," Mitchell said.
Johnnie Walls of Greenville, another attorney representing Smith, filed his motion for continuance last week, claiming the special session of the Mississippi Legislature and preparation for other, unrelated cases have prevented him from working on Smith's case. Walls, D-Greenville, serves in the Mississippi Senate.
Earlier, Walls had filed a motion, asking the court to quash the indictment. Among reasons for the motion, Walls cited that the indictment names separate victims and contended that the alleged acts are not interrelated.
The indictment lists two counts with two different girls' names. The alleged incidents are supposed to have occurred between Jan. 1, 1995, and Dec. 31, 2000, according to the indictment. Court records state that both girls were under the age of 16 at the time.
In his motion to quash the indictment, Walls also argued that the times cited were "imprecise," making it difficult to prepare a defense for his client.
A judge has yet to rule on Walls' motion to delay the trial.
