Opinion ID: 1058523
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Cypress v. Commonwealth

Text: Sheldon A. Cypress was a passenger in an automobile being driven by his cousin when a trooper with the Virginia State Police stopped the vehicle because of its improperly tinted windows. The driver consented to a search of the vehicle. During that search, the trooper found, among other things, two plastic bags  one under the driver's seat and one under the passenger's seat  each containing a chunky white substance that the trooper suspected was crack cocaine. Subsequent forensic testing at the Department of Forensic Science revealed that the substance was cocaine, totaling 60.5 grams. A certificate of analysis reporting those results bore the signature of the forensic analyst who conducted the testing and included an attestation that she had performed the analysis. Cypress was indicted in the Circuit Court of the City of Chesapeake for possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, having previously committed the offense of distribution or possession with the intent to distribute, in violation of Code § 18.2-248(C). At a bench trial, the Commonwealth moved to admit the certificate of analysis into evidence. Cypress objected, arguing that under the holding in Crawford the certificate fell into a core class of testimonial evidence and was therefore inadmissible in the absence of testimony from the person who performed the analysis of the seized substance. The circuit court overruled the objection, holding that the scientific results stated in the certificate of analysis are not testimonial statements as that term is defined or described in Crawford v. Washington .  [1] Cypress did not call the forensic analyst as a witness and presented no evidence. The circuit court convicted Cypress of possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, second or subsequent offense, and sentenced him to imprisonment for 15 years, with 10 years suspended, and a fine of $1,000. [2] The Court of Appeals denied Cypress' appeal in an unpublished per curiam order. Cypress v. Commonwealth, Record No. 1547-06-1 (January 3, 2007). Citing its decision in Brooks, the Court of Appeals stated: assuming a certificate of analysis constitutes testimonial evidence under Crawford, a defendant's confrontation rights are nonetheless protected by the procedures provided by Code §§ 19.2-187 and 19.2-187.1. Id., slip op. at 2. The Court of Appeals, however, held that Cypress waived his right to confront the forensic analyst who prepared the certificate of analysis because he did not utilize the procedure set forth in Code § 19.2-487.1. Id. For the reasons stated in the January 3, 2007 order, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals also denied the petition for appeal. Cypress v. Commonwealth, Record No. 1547-06-1 (March 23, 2007). Now on appeal to this Court, Cypress raises two assignments of error: I. The trial court erred by allowing into evidence the certificate of analysis over Defendant's objection that its introduction violated his Sixth Amendment Confrontation Clause rights as articulated in Crawford v. Washington and its progeny; the trial court erred by finding Cypress guilty of possession with intent to distribute cocaine where the only evidence that he possessed cocaine came from this drug certificate which should have been excluded from evidence[.] II. The Court of Appeals erred by ruling that Defendant waived his Confrontation Clause rights by declining to subpoena the chemist who prepared the certificate and this ruling impermissibly, and unconstitutionally, required Defendant to take affirmative steps to safeguard his Confrontation Clause rights[.]