Eccles v. Commonwealth

John C. Eccles was indicted for selling marijuana, then punishable as a felony under Virginia Code §§ 54-488 and 54-516 (1967 Repl. Vol.). His first conviction by a jury was reversed for a reason not related to this appeal. See Eccles v. Commonwealth, 212 Va. 679, 187 S. E. 2d 207 (1972). On a second trial Eccles was again found guilty, and judgment was entered in accordance with the jury’s verdict. We granted Eccles a writ of error limited solely to a consideration of whether the trial court erred in admitting evidence of prior criminal acts by the defendant.

In February, 1970 Carl R.…