United States v. Lafontant

Appellant, contrary to his pleas of not guilty, was convicted of attempted sale of LSD and possession of LSD in violation of Articles 80 and 92, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), 10 U.S.C. §§ 880, 892, by a general court-martial composed of officer members. At trial and again before this Court appellant has challenged the competence of a key prosecution witness to render opinion testimony that the substance in question was LSD. That witness was a Marine Staff Sergeant working for the Naval Investigative Service who conducted a field laboratory analysis on the alleged contraband…