(Robert Arnold, KPRC 2 News)
A second round of testimony in a downtown courtroom further called into question the validity of drug tests administered by the Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department, also known as the probation department. The hearing before Judge Denise Collins is raising troubling questions about how the department handles evidence and tracks the results of drug tests.
Perhaps the most stunning testimony came from Richard Youst. Last year, Youst pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated. Since this was Youst’s first and only criminal offense, he was sentenced to twelve months of probation. Part of the requirements of Youst’s probation was that he submit to random drug tests. Youst testified one month before his probation was set to end that he was informed his urine tested positive for cocaine.
“I’ve never done drugs in my life and I never will,” Youst said following the conclusion of testimony. Youst said no one believed him when he argued there must had been a mistake with the test result. Youst said his probation was revoked and he was ordered to spend ten days in the Harris County jail.
“It’s been really tough,” Youst said. “They don’t know how hard it was, all the pain and suffering.” Youst said being sent to jail triggered even more hardships in his life. “When I got locked up, I lost my license, I lost my job, I lost everything. And it’s so hard to get a job these days without a valid ID,” said Youst.
However, court testimony revealed Youst was telling the truth; his urine was clean.
“This is worst-case scenario,” said attorney Lisa Andrews, who called Youst to testify as a witness in this hearing.
Andrews spent Thursday and Friday calling several witnesses for this hearing. Andrews said she discovered emails during her investigation that showed the department realized it made a mistake in Youst’s case. Andrews said a clerical error caused someone else’s urine sample to be linked to Youst’s name. However, Andrews said no one in the department ever reported the mistake to the judge who ordered Youst’s probation to be revoked, the prosecutors handling the case or Youst himself.
(See the full story at KPRC 2 News)
OTHER LOCAL NEWS LINKS:
- As Classes Resume, Testing Grind Looms for Many High Schoolers (Houston Chronicle)
- More Parents of Special-Needs Kids Opt Out of Public Schools (Houston Chronicle)
- Back To School Tips For Kids With Asthma (KUHF Public Radio)
- Visual Dysfunction Could Be Cause Of Child’s Misbehavior (KUHF Public Radio)
- Three New West Nile Virus Cases in Houston Area (KTRK 13 News)
- A Child’s Life Lost Amid Too Many Cases at CPS (Houston Chronicle)
- For West Nile Victims, Suffering Varies (Houston Chronicle)
- The Bethel Park Project: Homage To Fourth Ward’s History (KUHF Public Radio)
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- Tropical Storm Isaac Poses Threat to the Northern Gulf Coast (Houston Chronicle)
- AP-GfK Poll: Raise Taxes to Save Social Security (AP)
- Failure Of Lilly Drug Is Latest Alzheimer’s Setback (NPR)
- Dire Health Conditions In South Sudan Prompt Airdrops (NPR)
- China’s arms exports flooding sub-Saharan Africa (Washington Post)