Opinion ID: 2448651
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Adequacy of chain of custody.

Text: Newman's fourth argument on appeal is that the trial court erred in admitting evidence over his objection based on chain of custody. Newman objected to the introduction of State's Exhibits 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E based on chain of custody, and now argues on appeal that the trial court erroneously overruled his objection. Richard Rapert testified that he recognized State's Exhibit 1D and 1E as the two bags of marijuana and methamphetamine that he received from Williams following the controlled buy. Rapert further stated that he placed State's Exhibit 1D into an envelope, State's Exhibit 1B, and that he placed State's Exhibit 1E into another envelope, State's Exhibit 1C. Then he placed the two smaller envelopes into a larger envelope, State's Exhibit 1A. Attached to State's Exhibit 1A was State's Exhibit 1, a state crime laboratory submission sheet that had Rapert's handwriting on it. Rapert further explained that Marvin Poe opened State's Exhibit 1A a week prior to trial in order to determine if the evidence numbers on the smaller envelopes matched the numbers found on the larger envelope. He said that Poe did this in his presence. The smaller envelopes containing the contraband, State's Exhibits 1B and 1C, were not opened at the time. Michael Stage, a chemist with the state crime lab, testified that he recognized the exhibits as those upon which he performed a chemical analysis. His tests showed that State's Exhibit 1D was a baggie containing 4.4 grams of marijuana, while State's Exhibit 1E was a ziplock bag containing .15 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride. Stage further testified that after he performed the chemical analysis, he resealed the bags and placed them back inside their respective envelopes for resubmission to the evidence room at the state crime lab. He recognized the seal that he placed on the outside envelope and the case number and date he wrote on it. Stage also testified that he was present when Poe opened State's Exhibit 1A earlier in the week. The following colloquy then occurred between defense counsel and Stage: Q: There were some items actually missing from that bag that were supposed to be in that bag [State's Exhibit 1A], weren't there? A: At the time there was, yes. Q: Did you make a list of the items that you found in the bag at the time that it was opened? Did you inventory the bag, so to speak, this past week when it was opened? A: I didn't make any notes. I remember what was missing, yes.       Q: And you have no idea where this bag has gone this past week since, since you opened it. A: No. Q: So really, it's your testimony the seal on the, on the bag itself which contained the other evidence, items of evidence, was broken before court today by yourself. A: Are we talking about the right case? Or was that another? Q: I'm, I'm talking about 1A. A: I believe there was another case that this happened to. [BENCH CONFERENCE] STAGE CONTINUING: It was not this envelope that was in question that day. Q: But 1A is the envelope that, that was previously opened in the Judge's chambers, is that correct? A: No. Q: That's not the envelope? A: This one was opened, yes. But this was not the one in question. On redirect examination, Stage explained that State's Exhibit 1A had been opened while looking for evidence used in another case, and that the evidence was not found in the envelope. Marvin Poe then testified that he recognized State's Exhibit 1A, and that he had opened it the prior week to see if the evidence numbers found on State's Exhibit 1B and 1C matched the laboratory control number found on the attached laboratory submission sheet, State's Exhibit 1. He then placed the smaller envelopes back in the larger envelope, and he signed and dated it to reflect when and where he opened it. He returned State's Exhibit 1A to the Drug Task Force evidence locker in Newport, Arkansas. The day before trial, Poe retrieved the bag from the evidence locker and placed it with his secretary (and wife), Judy Poe, to be picked up hours later by Rapert. Finally, Judy Poe testified that she recognized and received State's Exhibits 1 and 1A from Michael Poe and that she passed them along to Rapert the day before trial. Rapert ultimately testified that he received State's Exhibit 1A from Judy Poe the day before trial at the Drug Task Force office. Evidentiary matters regarding the admissibility of evidence are left to the sound discretion of the trial court and rulings in this regard will not be reversed absent an abuse of discretion. Lee v. State, 326 Ark. 229, 931 S.W.2d 433 (1996); Harris v. State, 322 Ark. 167, 907 S.W.2d 729 (1995). This court has consistently stated that the purpose of establishing a chain of custody is to prevent the introduction of evidence that is not authentic or that has been tampered with. Id. However, the trial court must be satisfied within a reasonable probability that the evidence has not been tampered with; it is not necessary that the State eliminate every possibility of tampering. Id. In the present case, we conclude that the State established within a reasonable probability that the evidence had not been tampered with. While the somewhat confusing testimony of Stage at first established that items were missing from State's Exhibit 1A, he later clarified that he was referring to another matter. State's Exhibits 1B and 1C, the envelopes containing the contraband, were not themselves opened when Poe examined State's Exhibit 1A the week prior to trial. Moreover, Rapert ultimately confirmed that State's Exhibits 1D and 1E were the substances that he received from Patricia Williams. We therefore conclude that the State established an adequate chain of custody and that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the State's exhibits.