Gray v. Commonwealth

Indicted for possession of phencyclidine, a controlled substance, the defendant, Howard Mason Gray, III, was tried by jury and convicted as charged. In accordance with the jury’s verdict, he was sentenced to serve twelve months in jail and to pay a fine of $500. We awarded him an appeal limited to the question whether a certificate of drug analysis was “admissible into evidence pursuant to Code § 19.2-187.” *

The record shows that on July 13, 1978, a vehicle operated by the defendant collided with a police cruiser in the town of Front Royal. Placed in the rear seat of the cruiser during…