| On June 23, 2014, 34-year-old Gregory Castor was charged with misdemeanor possession of cocaine in Harris County, Texas after he was arrested and police seized powder that field-tested positive for cocaine.
Castor, who had prior convictions for robbery and illegal possession of a firearm, pled guilty in Harris County Criminal District Court on July 17, 2014. He was sentenced to 90 days in Texas State Jail.
Subsequently, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office Post Conviction Review Unit joined Castor’s defense attorney in filing a motion to vacate the conviction on the basis of actual innocence because crime lab tests performed on August 29, 2014 revealed that the powder seized from Castor waw negative for the presence of cocaine.
On October 13, 2014, the motion was granted, the charge was dismissed and Castor was released.
– Maurice Possley
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