On June 23, 2014, 34-year-old Gregory Castor was charged with misdemeanor possession of cocaine in Harris County, Texas after he was arrested and police seized powder that field-tested positive for cocaine.
Castor, who had prior convictions for robbery and illegal possession of a firearm, pled guilty in Harris County Criminal District Court on July 17, 2014. He was sentenced to 90 days in Texas State Jail.
Subsequently, the Harris County District Attorney's Office Post Conviction Review Unit joined Castor's defense attorney in filing a motion to vacate the conviction on the basis of actual innocence because crime lab tests performed on August 29, 2014 revealed that the powder seized from Castor waw negative for the presence of cocaine.
On October 13, 2014, the motion was granted, the charge was dismissed and Castor was released.
- Maurice Possley
Posting Date: 12-30-2014
Last Update Date: 01-28-2019
Case Details:
State:
Texas
County:
Harris
Most Serious Crime:
Drug Possession or Sale
Reported Crime Date:
2014
Convicted:
2014
Exonerated:
2014
Sentence:
Term of Years
Race / Ethnicity:
Black
Sex:
Male
Age at the date of reported crime:
34
Contributing Factors:
False or Misleading Forensic Evidence
Did DNA evidence contribute to the exoneration?:
No