Opinion ID: 536574
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Admission of Identification Testimony

Text: 27 At trial, the government asked Tom Foley and Greg Hagedorn to identify the substance that James Westbrook sold Foley in the spring of 1985. Both witnesses stated that they had used the substance, described its effects, and said that it was amphetamine. Throughout their testimony, they continued to refer to the substance at issue as amphetamine. Greg Hagedorn's first experience with amphetamine was when he used some of James Westbrook's product in the spring of 1985; Hagedorn thereafter used amphetamine daily for several months. Foley first used amphetamine only shortly before he met James Westbrook, but Foley described himself as a heavy user of amphetamine throughout 1985. 28 The government also asked Jan Hagedorn what Shelia Westbrook gave her to use during Shelia's second visit to South Dakota. Jan Hagedorn identified the substance as crank (a slang expression for amphetamine), but said she had never used it before that occasion. In addition, LeWayne Matthies, who had no experience using amphetamine, was permitted to testify that Tom Foley had contacted him about buying amphetamine, that Matthies had told James Westbrook that he wanted amphetamine, and that James had said he could help with the amphetamine. Matthies was not asked to give his opinion as to the identity of the substance. James Westbrook's counsel repeatedly objected to these witnesses' use of the word amphetamine. 29 James argues that the trial court erred in permitting these four witnesses to refer to the substance sold or manufactured as amphetamine. He argues that their testimony is unreliable on the grounds that they did not have prior experience with amphetamine. James does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence identifying the substance in question as amphetamine. 30 The identity of a controlled substance can be proved by circumstantial evidence. United States v. Meeks, 857 F.2d 1201, 1204 (8th Cir.1988); United States v. Harrell, 737 F.2d 971, 978-79 (11th Cir.1984), cert. denied 470 U.S. 1027, 105 S.Ct. 1392, 84 L.Ed.2d 781 (1975). Circumstantial evidence of a drug's identity may include opinion testimony of a witness who couples past use with present experience with the substance in question. United States v. Harrell, 737 F.2d at 978-79. Circumstantial evidence may also include the name by which members of a conspiracy referred to the substance. United States v. Meeks, 857 F.2d at 1204. See also United States v. Manganellis, 864 F.2d 528 (7th Cir.1988). The admission of testimony which may provide circumstantial evidence to identify a substance is within the discretion of the trial court, United States v. Huddleston, 810 F.2d 751, 754 (8th Cir.1987), and the trial court will not be reversed without finding a clear abuse of its discretion. United States v. Cuch, 842 F.2d at 1175. 31 LeWayne Matthies did not state that the substance was amphetamine. Instead, he recounted conversations between himself and co-conspirators, including James Westbrook, in which the substance was referred to as amphetamine. The fact that the co-conspirators referred to the substance as amphetamine is relevant to prove its identity. United States v. Meeks, 857 F.2d 1201. Tom Foley and Greg Hagedorn were asked to give their opinions as to the identity of the substance. Both men based their opinions on substantial personal experience using amphetamine throughout the time period when the conspiracy allegedly occurred. The fact that most or all of this experience occurred after, rather than before, the witnesses first used some of James Westbrook's stock does not make their testimony so unreliable that it should not have been admitted. 32 Jan Hagedorn also was asked to identify the substance she consumed. The record indicates that she had no prior experience with amphetamine, and does not indicate that she had any subsequent experience with the drug. This court agrees with appellant that the government did not properly establish a foundation for her opinion and that her statement should not have been admitted. However, even if the trial court erred in this regard, there is sufficient evidence in the record that the substance was in fact d,l-amphetamine. In addition to the testimony of Tom Foley, Greg Hagedorn, and LeWayne Matthies, several other government witnesses with substantial prior use of amphetamine identified the substance as amphetamine. Laboratory analysis of the final, 1987 cook showed the product to be d,l-amphetamine, and Ray Tyler, who was in charge of the manufacturing process, stated that the same formula was used in every manufacturing attempt. This court therefore concludes that admission of Jan Hagedorn's identification was harmless. 33