On March 25, 2011, police in Houston, Texas arrested 17-year-old Victor Diaz and confiscated a powdery substance that field-tested positive for cocaine.
On March 28, 2011, Diaz pled guilty in Harris County Criminal District Court to possession of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to court-supervised probation for five years.
The Houston Police Department crime laboratory conducted tests on the powder on July 25, 2011 and determined there were no controlled substances.
The laboratory informed the Harris County District Attorney’s Post Conviction Review Unit and the prosecution ultimately informed an attorney for Diaz.
On July 17, 2014 the prosecution and Diaz’s attorney presented a joint motion to vacate Diaz’s conviction. A judge granted the motion on the basis of actual innocence and the prosecution dismissed the charge.
– Maurice Possley
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