By Shaden Cortez
As instructed by Deputy District Attorney Daniele Schlehofer, Kimberley Sand from forensic services dug inside a Controlled Substances Evidence Envelope (BFS-2) and extracted about 2.5 grams of methamphetamine—which produces about ten single doses. Officer Juan Barrera arrested Ricky Emmanuel Pierson on October 6, 2018, for possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell. Two expert witnesses testified on the identification of the drugs and the connection between Mr. Pierson and the bags Officer Barrera found.
Kimberly Sand was identified as a forensics expert, who analyzes and examines physical evidence regarding controlled substances. Ms. Schlehofer, addressing Ms. Sand, asked a series of questions regarding the identification process of the contraband tied to Mr. Pierson.
Ms. Sand stated that evidence typically goes through a color test to determine the positive or negative compounds that are present in the evidence. After a couple more tests extracting different compounds for comparison, the data reported goes through two final review processes. One is an administrative review where the report is checked for spelling errors. Another is a technical review where the data in a report is analyzed.
Finally, the controlled substance is placed inside a BFS-2 envelope. Ms. Sand’s findings concluded that the contraband tested positive for methamphetamine. An extensive review process is necessary in order to check for any human errors. Ms. Sand did have to file a new report because there were spelling issues with Mr. Pierson’s name in the original report.
Andrea Mack, a latent print expert, identifies fingerprints on objects through a variety of tests. Ms. Mack conducted a test using black finger print powder and a dye stain to identify possible fingerprints but all tests yielded no results.
Officer Gina Bell testified confirming her presence on a video that showed her picking up meth possessed by Ricky Pierson on June 28, 2017. The judge felt compelled to show the jury this video to showcase Mr. Pierson’s substance pattern.
