Wayne Ross appeals from his convictions for sale of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and obstruction of an officer. Because Ross received effective assistance of trial counsel and the sentence imposed by the trial court was lawful, we affirm. Construed in the light most favorable to the verdict, Jackson v. Virginia , 443 U. S. 307 99 SC 2781, 61 LE2d 560 1979, the evidence shows that on April 20, 2006, Ross sold cocaine to a confidential informant working with police. Approximately three months later, on July 14, 2006, a deputy sheriff stopped Ross for failing to maintain his lane when she saw the car he was driving swerve over the center line on a two-lane road. After checking Ross’ driver’s license and insurance, the officer asked if she could search his vehicle, and Ross consented to the search. As Ross got out of the car, he slipped something out of his pocket, attempted to hide it from the deputy and then ran away from the scene. The deputy yelled for him to stop, but he continued to flee with what appeared to be a clear plastic sandwich bag in his hand. Ross ran behind a nearby house, and the officer chased after him. Ross then reappeared, walking casually back around the house. As the deputy placed him under arrest, two people came from the back of the house and said that Ross had thrown something on to the top of the house. Other officers arrived at the scene, and the arresting officer then found and retrieved a plastic sandwich bag, which contained approximately three grams of crack cocaine, from the roof of the house.
Based on the foregoing, Ross was indicted for sale of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, obstruction of an officer and failure to maintain his lane. He was also indicted for another count of allegedly selling cocaine two days prior to the April 20, 2006 sale. The jury acquitted Ross of that earlier alleged sale of cocaine and of failure to maintain his lane, but found him guilty of the April 20th cocaine sale, possession with intent to distribute and obstruction. The trial court sentenced Ross as a recidivist to consecutive life terms for the two drug offenses and to a concurrent 12-month term for the obstruction offense. Ross’ motion for a new trial was denied, and he appeals.
