On January 27, 2008, police in Houston, Texas arrested 41-year-old Esau Rodgers after confiscating a substance from him that field-tested positive for cocaine.
On March 20, 2008, Rodgers pled guilty in Harris County Criminal District Court to felony possession of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to six months in the Harris County Jail.
On August 19, 2009, the Houston Police crime laboratory tested the substance and concluded that no controlled substances were present.
In 2016, the Harris County District Attorney's conviction integrity unit joined with Rodgers' attorney in filing a state-court petition for a writ of habeas corpus seeking to vacate the conviction. A state trial judge recommended that the petition be granted and in June 2016 the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted the writ and vacated the conviction.
On July 13, 2016, the prosecution dismissed the charge.
- Maurice Possley
Posting Date: 07-15-2016
Case Details:
State:
Texas
County:
Harris
Most Serious Crime:
Drug Possession or Sale
Reported Crime Date:
2008
Convicted:
2008
Exonerated:
2016
Sentence:
Term of Years
Race / Ethnicity:
Black
Sex:
Male
Age at the date of reported crime:
41
Contributing Factors:
False or Misleading Forensic Evidence
Did DNA evidence contribute to the exoneration?:
No