Cook v. State

A jury found Michael Cook guilty of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Cook appeals, alleging that the trial court 1 erred by not granting his motion for a directed verdict because the state failed to establish a chain of custody for the drugs upon which his conviction is based; and 2 erred by not granting his motion for a mistrial after the prosecutor introduced new evidence in his closing remarks. We find no reversible error and affirm Cook’s conviction. Viewed in a light most favorable to support the jury’s verdict, the evidence shows that an informant called Cook in the presence of two law enforcement officers in order to set up a methamphetamine buy. The law enforcement officers then drove the informant to the scene of the buy, where the informant met Cook. Once the officers witnessed the start of the drug transaction, they proceeded to arrest Cook, who dropped a small bag of methamphetamine. After arresting Cook, agents searched his car and discovered 26 grams of methamphetamine, a set of digital scales, smoking devices, and a ledger listing names with dollar amounts.

1. In a one-page argument, Cook contends the trial court erred in denying his motion for a directed verdict because the state failed to establish a chain of custody for the drugs upon which his conviction is based. We find no error.