Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Criminal Law Blogs -> The Criminal Defense Blog

Criminal Law

: The Criminal Defense Blog

Typo Frees Convicted Drug Offender

By Chris

An Ohio repeat drug offender has been released from prison after discovering a typo in his jury verdict, according to a recent CNN story. When Calvin Eugene Wells of Akron was convicted for first-degree crack cocaine possession in October, 2005, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, due to the amount of the drug in his possession ? more than 100 grams. However, in the official verdict signed by the jury, that amount was skewed, leading to confusion about exactly what Wells had been convicted for. The form, typed by an employee of the court or prosecution, reads in part: We, the Jury, find the Defendant Guilty of the offense of POSSESSION OF CRACK COCAINE. We, the jury, further find that the amount of crack cocaine WAS in the amount exceeding ten one hundred (100) grams as charged in the indictment...continue to full post

Full post as published by The Criminal Defense Blog on June 22, 2009 (boomark / email).