Riley v. State

SHEPARD, Justice.

Appellant George Riley was convicted after trial by jury of delivery of more than 3 grams of cocaine, a class A felony, Ind. Code § 85-48-4-1, and was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 26 years. Because we reverse the conviction and remand, we address only one issue raised in this direct appeal: whether Riley was denied a fair trial when the State elicited testimony about his prior drug use and sales in violation of an order in limine.

Riley was convicted solely on the testimony of Lennis Utley, who had been arrested after selling cocaine to undercover agents. In exchange…