On October 5, 2005, police in Houston, Texas, arrested 25-year-old Norman Mack on a charge of possession of cocaine.
He pleaded guilty on November 17, 2005 and was sentenced to six months in jail.
Later that month, the Houston Police Department Crime Laboratory tested the substance and discovered that it was chlorpromazine, not cocaine.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office notified Mack’s attorney and prepared a state petition for a writ of habeas corpus.
The Texas Criminal Court of Appeals granted the writ on March 1, 2006. Mack was released the same day.
The District Attorney’s Office dismissed the charge on March 27, 2006.
– Maurice Possley
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