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Eric Polk

Other CIU Drug Cases
On August 17, 2014, Houston, Texas police arrested 27-year-old Eric Polk after officers confiscated a powdery substance that field-tested positive for ecstasy.

On August 18, 2014, Polk pled guilty in Harris County Criminal District Court to possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 180 days in Texas State Jail.

In October 2014, the Houston police crime laboratory tested the substance seized from Polk and no controlled substance was found. The lab informed the Harris County District Attorney’s Post Conviction Review Unit which informed Polk’s attorney.

On November 4, 2014, the prosecution and defense presented a joint petition for a writ of habeas corpus requesting that the conviction be vacated on the basis of actual innocence and Polk was released. The trial judge recommended that the writ be granted and on November 26, 2014, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted the writ.

On January 8, 2015, the charge was dismissed.

– Maurice Possley

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Posting Date: 1/6/2015
State:Texas
County:Harris
Most Serious Crime:Drug Possession or Sale
Additional Convictions:
Reported Crime Date:2014
Convicted:2014
Exonerated:2015
Sentence:6 months
Race/Ethnicity:Black
Sex:Male
Age at the date of reported crime:27
Contributing Factors:False or Misleading Forensic Evidence
Did DNA evidence contribute to the exoneration?:No