NAACP holds Events to Support Prisoners it says are Innocent

GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) — The state chapter of the NAACP is holding events this weekend in support of two men that it says are serving long sentences for crimes they didn't commit.

A march will be held Saturday in Greenville, in support of Dontae Sharpe. On Sunday, a community worship service will be held at Union Baptist Church in Winston-Salem in support of Sharpe and Kalvin Smith.

Advocates have said that both men rejected plea deals for lesser sentences because they refused to admit to crimes they didn't commit.

Sharpe was sentenced to life in prison in 1994 for murder. Smith is serving up to 29 years in prison in connection with a 1995 assault that left a woman with severe brain injuries.

Voter registration drives will be held after each event.

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