On January 17, 2008, police in Houston, Texas arrested 20-year-old Gerardo Vasquez after they seized white powder from him that field-tested positive for cocaine.
On May 22, 2008, Vasquez pled guilty in Harris County Criminal District Court to possession of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to probation for two years.
More than six years later, the Harris County District Attorney’s Post Conviction Review Unit notified Vasquez’s defense attorney that the Houston Police crime laboratory test testing of the powder was negative for the presence of a controlled substance.
On October 2, 2014, the prosecution joined with Vasquez’s attorney to file a motion to vacate the conviction. The motion was granted that day and the charge was dismissed.
– Maurice Possley
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