Everyone makes mistakes in life. Some are so silly that we can’t help but laugh them off but others have a huge cost associated with them. A homeless man living in Oklahoma, US, recently found out just how high the price of an error might be after a police officer made one.
According to The Washington Post, 26-year-old Cody Gregg was arrested by the cops on August 12 as his backpack had a coffee can with a clear plastic bag full of white powder. He was jailed for trafficking illegal drugs (namely cocaine).
Initially, he pleaded ‘not guilty’ but after two months behind bars on October 8, he pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute and was punished with a prison term of 15 years.
CNN reports that the case took an unexpected turn when the lab results showed that the powder was actually powdered milk! Subsequently, Mr.Gregg withdrew his plea and the court released him from jail.
According to The Independent, Mr.Gregg got the powder from a food pantry and reluctantly pleaded guilty earlier because he didn’t want to stay in Oklahoma County Jail for the long duration of the trial. The report also quoted a cop saying that the packet had
“a large amount of white powder substance that I believed to be cocaine based on my training and experience…later tested positive for cocaine and was a total package weight of 45.91 grams.”
Turns out, it was a false positive from an unreliable drug test. Luckily, the lab report saved an innocent man from spending years in prison when there was no crime committed.