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Jerry Dukes

Other Drug Exonerations in 2015
On October 10, 2007, police in Houston, Texas arrested 54-year-old Jerry Dukes after they seized powder from him that field-tested positive for cocaine.

On October 12, 2007, Dukes pled guilty in Harris County Criminal District Court to possession of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to eight months in Harris County Jail.

In 2015, the Harris County District Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit learned that the powder had been tested by the Houston Police Department Crime Laboratory in February 2010 and no drugs were detected.

The prosecution informed Dukes’ attorney and in February 2015, joined in a state petition for a writ of habeas corpus to vacate the conviction. In July 2015, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted the petition and vacated the conviction. On September 2, 2015, the prosecution dismissed the charge.

– Maurice Possley

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Posting Date: 9/11/2015
State:Texas
County:Harris
Most Serious Crime:Drug Possession or Sale
Additional Convictions:
Reported Crime Date:2007
Convicted:2007
Exonerated:2015
Sentence:8 months
Race/Ethnicity:White
Sex:Male
Age at the date of reported crime:54
Contributing Factors:False or Misleading Forensic Evidence
Did DNA evidence contribute to the exoneration?:No