Opinion ID: 2378566
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Admissibility of expert chemist's testimony.

Text: The State's expert testified that he graduated from the University of Maine in 1969 with a Bachelor of Science degree; that following graduation, he taught science and math until June of 1970 when he joined the State laboratory as a chemist; that thereafter he tested police evidence for their drug contents on at least 50 occasions; that he was familiar with known charts accepted in the field as proper determinants of certain drugs and how to operate machines used in the laboratory for comparison readings of sample tests of unknown substances; that he testified in courts of this State as an expert on many occasions. Full cross-examination in no way destroyed his qualifications as an expert. The witness' expertise was for the presiding Justice's determination as a preliminary question and his decision thereon is not subject to reversal except for abuse of sound judicial discretion. There was no error on that score. The witness disclosed special training and familiarity with the subject matter of chemical tests for drugs qualifying him as an expert in the field. His testimony was for jury evaluation. State v. Fitzherbert, 1969, Me., 249 A.2d 760.