Commonwealth v. Roark
Annotate this CaseIn a case involving Steven Roark who was convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, and tampering with physical evidence, the Supreme Court of Kentucky reversed the decision of the Court of Appeals, which had held that the jury instruction for manufacturing methamphetamine violated Roark's right to a unanimous verdict. In the case, the police had found Roark in a trailer with an active methamphetamine lab, along with multiple items used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. The jury instructions allowed for a conviction based on either of two theories under Kentucky Revised Statute (KRS) 218A.1432 - either that Roark knowingly manufactured methamphetamine, or that he knowingly possessed two or more items of equipment or chemicals with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. Roark argued that such instruction violated his right to a unanimous verdict. However, the Supreme Court of Kentucky found no error in the jury instruction, concluding that both theories were supported by the evidence presented at trial, and thus did not violate Roark's right to a unanimous verdict. The court thereby affirmed the judgment and sentence of the trial court as to Roark’s manufacturing conviction.
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