Opinion ID: 789111
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Evidence in Question.

Text: 6 The government's principal witness, Terry McGee, testified that he and Gardner became partners in distributing methamphetamine in the Beebe, Arkansas area north of Little Rock. McGee testified that Gardner came to his home late one night in early March 1998 to ask if she could leave with McGee eight to ten pounds of methamphetamine she had recently acquired from her Mexican suppliers in California. McGee agreed, and Gardner asked him to separate one of the best-looking pounds for her, to be retrieved later. McGee separated two pounds, putting one in a bag he marked Linda, and the other in a bag he marked Terry, for himself. A few days later, police executed a search warrant on McGee's home and seized the methamphetamine that McGee had not yet sold, including the two bags marked Linda and Terry. These bags were admitted into evidence during Gardner's trial. Though McGee was extensively cross-examined, he was asked very few questions about the one pound he put in a bag marked Linda. 7 McGee testified that, while Gardner was at his home delivering the load of methamphetamine, he called Barbara Shumake, one of his customers who had been asking me about getting possibly five pounds or more. Shumake expressed interest in the new load and was in McGee's home inspecting the methamphetamine when the warrant search took place. Neither side called Ms. Shumake as a witness. 8 McGee further testified that Gardner sought him out when he was released on bond three days after the warrant search. Gardner told McGee she had come to his house while the police were there but just kept on going down the road. Gardner said she owed her Mexican suppliers for the methamphetamine she had left with McGee, and they wanted evidence it had been seized. A day or two later, McGee met with Gardner and two of the Mexicans, who said that Gardner owed them $120,000. The group discussed how they might recoup their losses through further drug sales. 9 Another important government witness, Ruby Eastep, testified that Gardner came to her trailer and said she had left a load of methamphetamine with McGee to sell, but when she went back to collect money from McGee, the place was surrounded and the police were there. Eastep described Gardner as very upset because she owed her Mexicans in California quite a bit of money. Eastep was not cross-examined about this part of her extensive testimony. Another government witness, Debby Stacy, whose boyfriend had drug dealings with McGee, testified that Gardner once said she went to McGee's house, saw several police cars, and left. Stacy was not cross-examined about this incident. 10 Government witness Linda Taylor testified that she used methamphetamine with Linda Gardner, and each bought an eightball from the other on at least one occasion. There was no cross-examination directed to whether Ms. Taylor might be the Linda whose name appeared on the one-pound bag marked by Terry McGee. 11 The defense called nine witnesses, presenting evidence that Gardner's lifestyle did not match that of a big-time drug dealer, and that she was a responsible mother of three, a good employee, and extremely poor during the relevant time period. No defense witness addressed McGee's testimony regarding the March 1998 transaction or the warrant search of his home. Gardner did not testify. 12