On May 29, 2014, police in Houston, Texas arrested 30-year-old Terry Baker after they stopped him and discovered he was carrying a plastic bag containing a brown powder that field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
On June 13, 2014, Baker pled guilty in Harris County Criminal District Court to a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance and he was placed on probation with community supervision for one year.
On July 15, the Houston Police Department crime laboratory conducted tests on the powder seized from Baker. The tests were negative for any controlled or illegal substance.
The lab notified the Harris County District Attorney’s Post Conviction Review Unit of the tests results and the prosecution notified Baker’s defense attorney. On July 16, the defense attorney filed a motion for a new trial. On July 17, the prosecution joined the motion and the judge vacated the conviction and declared Baker factually innocent. The prosecution then dismissed the charge.
– Maurice Possley
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