Opinion ID: 2137535
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Sufficiency of the Field Test

Text: The State argues that this court should reinstate defendant's conviction because the field test was sufficient to prove that the substance was a controlled substance. Defendant contends that a field test alone is never sufficient to support a conviction for possession. Defendant further argues that, even if a field test can be sufficient, the field test in this case was not. This court discussed the sufficiency of a field test in People v. Clark, 7 Ill.2d 163, 130 N.E.2d 195 (1955). In Clark, a police informant, who was a drug addict, told the defendant that he had some topcoats for which he wanted to get some `stuff.' Clark, 7 Ill.2d at 165, 130 N.E.2d 195. The informant went to the defendant's apartment and purchased two sealed packets of powder for $10. Those packets were taken to the police officer, who field tested them. The white powder tested positive for a derivative of opium. Later, the powder was tested by a chemist and determined to be heroin, which is a derivative of morphine, a principle alkaloid of opium. The defendant argued that there was some doubt as to whether the powder tested by the chemist was the same powder that was sold by the defendant. Clark, 7 Ill.2d at 171, 130 N.E.2d 195. This court held that the lack of a proper chain of custody did not mandate reversal because a field test had been done on the substance purchased from the defendant, and that field test had yielded a positive result. Clark, 7 Ill.2d at 171, 130 N.E.2d 195. As defendant correctly notes, in People v. Judkins, 28 Ill.2d 417, 192 N.E.2d 848 (1963), this court found a field test to be insufficient. Judkins, however, is distinguishable from Clark. In Judkins, the officer testified that the field test could show only that the substance might be narcotics. Judkins, 28 Ill.2d at 419, 192 N.E.2d 848. No other evidence was presented to demonstrate that the substance actually was narcotics. In Clark, by contrast, the officer testified that the substance was a derivative of opium. Clark, 7 Ill.2d at 171, 130 N.E.2d 195. Thus, Judkins did not hold that field tests categorically are insufficient but only that the particular test used in that particular case was insufficient. Contrary to defendant's assertions, we agree with the State that this court has never held that a field test is insufficient to identify the substance as a narcotic simply because the test was a field test. Although the situation in which the test is conducted might be relevant to the accuracy of the test, the fact that it is a field test by itself does not make the test insufficient. This court's prior case law does not suggest such a general rule, and we see no reason to create one now. Given that a field test can be sufficient in some cases, we now consider whether the field test in this case was sufficient to sustain defendant's conviction. When determining whether the evidence against a defendant was sufficient to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, the relevant question is whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the State, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. People v. Collins, 106 Ill.2d 237, 261, 87 Ill.Dec. 910, 478 N.E.2d 267 (1985). In a controlled substance case, the State must present sufficient evidence that the substance at issue is a controlled substance. People v. Park, 72 Ill.2d 203, 211, 20 Ill.Dec. 586, 380 N.E.2d 795 (1978). In this case, the State's only evidence regarding the identity of the powder found in the folded white piece of paper was the testimony of Officer Bukovsky. Bukovsky had performed a field test on the substance and determined from that test that the substance was cocaine. During cross-examination, however, Bukovsky admitted that he could not remember the name of the test, the instructions for performing the test (although he did testify that the instructions were listed on the test itself), the color that indicated that the substance was cocaine, or the color that the substance actually turned. Officer Bukovsky merely asserted that the substance somehow turned the right color, whatever that color might be. Standing alone, such vague and speculative testimony is by no means sufficient to support defendant's conviction. We therefore hold that the evidence was insufficient to convict defendant of unlawful possession of a controlled substance.