On June 12, 2009, police in Houston, Texas arrested 50-year-old Donald Chasstion after they seized a powdered substance from him that field-tested positive for the presence of cocaine.
On June 15, 2009, Chasstion pled guilty in Harris County Criminal District Court to possession of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to 30 days in the Harris County Jail.
In 2015, the Harris County District Attorney's Post-Conviction Review Unit was notified that on August 25, 2010, the Houston Police crime laboratory had tested the substance seized from Chasstion and no controlled substance was found.
The prosecution informed Chasstion's attorney and joined in a state petition for a writ of habeas corpus to vacate the conviction. On February 20, 2015, the trial judge recommended that the writ be granted.
In July 2015, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted the writ and vacated Chasstion's conviction. On August 4, 2015, the prosecution dismissed the charge.
- Maurice Possley
Posting Date: 08-07-2015
Case Details:
State:
Texas
County:
Harris
Most Serious Crime:
Drug Possession or Sale
Reported Crime Date:
2009
Convicted:
2009
Exonerated:
2015
Sentence:
Term of Years
Race / Ethnicity:
Black
Sex:
Male
Age at the date of reported crime:
50
Contributing Factors:
False or Misleading Forensic Evidence
Did DNA evidence contribute to the exoneration?:
No