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Vanessa Perez

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On March 7, 2015, police in Houston, Texas arrested 17-year-old Vanessa Perez after confiscating a bottle of suspected liquid codeine.

On March 10, 2015, Perez pled guilty in Harris County Criminal District Court to a misdemeanor charge of possession of a controlled substance. She was sentenced to 30 days in the Harris County Jail.

On March 27, 2015, the Houston police crime laboratory tested the liquid and no controlled substance was found.

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office conviction integrity unit informed Perez’s attorney of the lab results and in February 2016, the defense attorney filed a motion to vacate the conviction, which the prosecution did not oppose.

On March 3, 2016, the motion was granted, the conviction was vacated and the charge was dismissed.

– Maurice Possley

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Posting Date: 5/23/2016
State:Texas
County:Harris
Most Serious Crime:Drug Possession or Sale
Additional Convictions:
Reported Crime Date:2015
Convicted:2015
Exonerated:2016
Sentence:30 days
Race/Ethnicity:Hispanic
Sex:Female
Age at the date of reported crime:17
Contributing Factors:
Did DNA evidence contribute to the exoneration?:No