Commonwealth v. H.C.

Police stopped a van being driven by H.C. for not using headlights. During the car stop, one of the officers allegedly observed three packages of what he knew to be heroin for a total of 495 packets. The officer claimed they were within inches of H.C.’s leg, and that no one else was in the car, which belonged to H.C.’s mother. At trial, the defense cross examined the recovering officer, as well as his partner, which highlighted many inconsistencies in their version of events. The defense successfully argued that the story told by the police as to how and where the drugs were recovered did not make sense, and that the Commonwealth failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that H.C. knew the drugs were present.