A 19-year-old college student was charged in the Radford City Circuit Court with felony drug possession. The Radford police had investigated a disruptive party in the student’s dorm room and found alcohol in the shower. Police searched elsewhere in the room and found Adderall, a Schedule I controlled substance, in the student’s desk. The drug had been hidden in a Fossil watch box along with some Mexican currency.
The student came to the Roanoke criminal defense lawyers at Copenhaver, Derrico & Ellett for help with his felony drug possession charge. If convicted, the student faced severe consequences including a prison sentence and loss of eligibility for financial aid to continue his education.
Attorney Rick Derrico represented the student in the Radford City Circuit Court. Derrico argued that prosecutors had no substantial proof or identifying evidence that could link the Adderall to our client. The dorm room was a suite occupied by multiple students who shared the same space. Any one of the students could have hidden the Adderall in the desk, making it unclear who actually possessed the drug.
Additionally, one of the students who lived in the dorm suite had a valid prescription for Adderall. Because of the facts presented, the felony drug possession case against our client was voluntarily dismissed just three months after we began representing the student.
The outcome of an individual case depends on a variety of factors unique to that case. Case results do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any similar or future case.