Bekendam v. Texas (original by judge meyers)
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Appellant Stephanie Bekendam was convicted of driving while intoxicated and sentenced to 20 years in prison and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. She appealed, arguing the trial court erred in admitting the expert testimony of the Department of Public Safety (“DPS”) forensic scientist who tested the blood sample and issued the toxicology report. The court of appeals held that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the testimony. On appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeals, appellant argued that the court of appeals incorrectly applied the law for admissibility of expert testimony, misconstrued Rule of Evidence 702, and decided an important question of law that had not been settled. The State filed a cross-petition, claiming that the court of appeals failed to address its argument that Appellant’s error was not preserved for review. The Court of Criminal Appeal found no reversible error, overruled the State's ground and affirmed the court of appeals' decision.
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