Opinion ID: 1363108
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Tampered Urinalysis Test

Text: The district court admitted testimony that while on pretrial release, Ball tampered with a urinalysis test and then acknowledged using methamphetamine four days earlier. Ball argues this was uncharged criminal conduct, which is typically inadmissible under Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b). Ball was charged with being a drug user in possession of a firearm, in violation of § 922(g)(3). Because Ball did not stipulate to being a drug user, the government was required to prove that element of the offense. Evidence demonstrating Ball tampered with a urinalysis test and used methamphetamine while on pretrial release, therefore, was directly relevant to an element of the charged offense, and thus admissible. See United States v. Richardson, 427 F.3d 1128, 1133 (8th Cir.2005) (per curiam) (holding the district court did not abuse its discretion by admitting evidence of the defendant's flight from police and his failure to appear for mandatory drug tests because such evidence showed the defendant knew his drug use would be discovered if he were tested, and therefore his flight was directly relevant to an element of the charge of being a drug user in possession of a firearm under § 922(g)(3)), vacated on other grounds by 439 F.3d 421, 422 (8th Cir. 2006) (en banc) (per curiam). The district court did not abuse its discretion by admitting evidence that Ball tampered with his urinalysis test.