On April 26, 2014, police in Houston, Texas arrested 32-year-old Courtney Loyd after they seized a substance from him that field-tested positive for PCP.
On April 29, Loyd, who had several prior drug and theft convictions, pled guilty in Harris County Criminal District Court to possession of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to six months in Texas State Jail.
On June 23, 2014, the Houston Forensic Science Center reported that tests performed on the material seized from Loyd were negative for the presence of any controlled substance.
The Harris County District Attorney's Post Conviction Review Unit notified Loyd's attorney and on July 17, 2014 joined in a state petition for a writ of habeas corpus to vacate the conviction and Loyd was released on bond.
On January 14, 2015, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted the writ and vacated Loyd's conviction. On February 24, 2015, the prosecution dismissed the charge.
- Maurice Possley
Posting Date: 03-04-2015
Case Details:
State:
Texas
County:
Harris
Most Serious Crime:
Drug Possession or Sale
Reported Crime Date:
2014
Convicted:
2014
Exonerated:
2015
Sentence:
Term of Years
Race / Ethnicity:
Black
Sex:
Male
Age at the date of reported crime:
32
Contributing Factors:
False or Misleading Forensic Evidence
Did DNA evidence contribute to the exoneration?:
No