Smith's Criminal Case Compendium
Smith's Criminal Case Compendium
Table of Contents
Smith's Criminal Case Compendium
About
This compendium includes significant criminal cases by the U.S. Supreme Court & N.C. appellate courts, Nov. 2008 – Present. Selected 4th Circuit cases also are included.
Jessica Smith prepared case summaries Nov. 2008-June 4, 2019; later summaries are prepared by other School staff.
Instructions
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On discretionary review of a unanimous decision of the Court of Appeals, ___ N.C. App. ___, 821 S.E.2d 268 (2018), the Supreme Court concluded that the Court of Appeals misapplied State v. Ward, 356 N.C. 133 (2010), when it held that the absence of a scientifically valid chemical...
In this Henderson County case, defendant appealed his convictions for trafficking in methamphetamine by possession and trafficking in opium by possession, arguing error in (1) denying his motion to dismiss the opium charge; (2) instructing the jury that opioids were included in the definition of...
In this Cabarrus County case, defendant appealed his death by distribution conviction, arguing error in (1) denial of his motion to dismiss, and (2) improperly admitting Rule of Evidence 404(b) evidence. The Court of Appeals found no error.
In March of 2020, defendant sold drugs,...
In this Wake County case, a drug investigator was working at a local FedEx facility and noticed a package from California with the seams taped shut and with an apparently fake phone number for the recipient. The officer removed the package from the conveyor belt and searched law enforcement...
In this Wake County case, a drug investigator was working at a local FedEx facility and noticed a package from California with the seams taped shut and with an apparently fake phone number for the recipient. The officer removed the package from the conveyor belt and searched law enforcement...
In this Beaufort County case, defendant appealed his possession of marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia convictions, arguing the trial court erred by admitting hearsay testimony and denying his motion to dismiss for insufficient evidence. The Court of Appeals found harmless error in admitting...
The evidence was sufficient to sustain the defendant’s conviction for possession of methamphetamine. After the police discovered a white crystalline substance in a vehicle, they arrested the defendant who had been sitting in the driver’s seat of the car. While being transported to a detention...
In a case involving a charge of possessing a controlled substance on the premises of a local confinement facility, the defendant’s own testimony that he had a “piece of dope . . . in the jail” was sufficient evidence that he possessed a controlled substance on the premises.