On June 12, 2009, police in Houston, Texas arrested 38-year-old Earl Amory after they seized a substance from him that field-tested positive for the presence of cocaine.
On June 15, 2009, Amory pled guilty in Harris County Criminal District Court to possession of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to four months in the Harris County Jail.
On May 9, 2011, the Houston Police crime laboratory tested the substance seized from Amory and detected no controlled substances. The laboratory test report was forwarded to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office where it was not discovered until 2014.
In 2016, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office conviction integrity unit informed Amory’s defense attorney of the test results and joined in a state law petition for a writ of habeas corpus.
On November 4, 2016, the Texas Court of Criminal appeals granted the writ and vacated the conviction. On December 20, 2016, the prosecution dismissed the charge.
– Maurice Possley
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