P. v. Ferrer
A jury convicted defendant and appellant Rudy Jay Ferrer of felony possession of methamphetamine (count 1; Health & Saf. Code, § 11377, subd (a)) and being under the influence of methamphetamine (count 2; id., § 11550, subd. (a)).[1] During trial, the People introduced a report from a forensic crime laboratory stating that a white crystalline substance found near defendant was methamphetamine. The person who performed the analysis and came to that conclusion did not testify at trial. Instead, the report was admitted into evidence based on the testimony of a supervisor who did not observe the analyst perform the tests on the substance. The supervisor also testified that, based on his review of the analyst's notes (as well as his own training, education, and knowledge of the crime laboratory's procedures), he would have come to the same conclusion as the analyst.
Comments on P. v. Ferrer