Rider v. Commonwealth

Opinion

KOONTZ, C.J.

In a trial by jury, Randolph Reeves Rider, appellant, was convicted of distribution of cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance, in violation of Code § 18.2-248 1 and sentenced to forty years in the penitentiary and a $100,000 fine. The sole issue presented in this appeal is whether the trial court erred by admitting evidence of prior drug-related transactions between Rider and the Commonwealth’s chief witness, Ritchie Conner.

On March 16, 1987, Ritchie Conner was arrested by the Augusta County Sheriffs Department for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. In…