Drug Possession Case Results in Fort Bend, TX

Charge

Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

Location

Fort Bend County, Missouri Municipal Court

Allegations

The client was cited after a traffic stop for a supposedly faulty taillight, and the officer claimed to smell marijuana, seized a grinder, papers, and a small amount of plant material, then issued a paraphernalia ticket. We gathered the client's video showing the taillight working and pressed the state on the legal basis for the stop and search. We also challenged whether the items could be tied to any illegal substance given the prevalence of hemp products and the lack of reliable testing or packaging. After presenting these issues and signaling readiness for trial, the prosecution dismissed the case.

Charge

Possession of THC (State Jail Felony)

Location

Fort Bend County, 268th DC

Allegations

After a single-vehicle crash, officers questioned the client and performed roadside tests. They then searched his person and seized a vape pen the officer believed contained THC. We obtained the state's evidence, challenged the justification for the person search, and insisted on laboratory proof distinguishing illegal THC concentrate from lawful hemp products. Facing those deficiencies and our readiness to litigate the suppression issues, the prosecution backed off. The felony possession charge was dismissed.

Charge

Possession of Marijuana

Location

Fort Bend County, County Court at Law 1

Allegations

Police responded to a hotel after our client reported people trying to get into the room. Officers walked the client out, and only afterward a hotel employee claimed she had gone in alone and found marijuana, which she then turned over. Nothing was found on the client or in the client’s bags. We obtained the reports and emphasized that the only evidence came from a third party with access and credibility problems, including being detained on an unrelated warrant. Confronted with those weaknesses, the state dismissed the case.