Eckhart v. Commonwealth

Convicted in a bench trial of possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, defendant Richard Alan Eckhart was sentenced in May of 1980 to a ten-year prison term with four years suspended. The sole issue on appeal is whether the trial court erroneously admitted allegedly hearsay testimony repeating the statement of one Betty Jean Tucker.

On November 13, 1979, about 10:14 p.m., a Virginia State Trooper, accompanied by other police officers, executed a search warrant at a residence situated in Henrico County. Upon entry, the officers found in the house about nine persons, including…