Brownv.State
Drevoisier Brown was convicted of armed robbery, aggravated assault, a gang offense, and trafficking methamphetamine after a convenience-store robbery led police to a house containing the victim's property, incriminating clothing, drugs, cash, and a mask carrying Brown's DNA. On appeal, Brown challenged the sufficiency of the evidence, the admission of tracking-dog testimony, and the removal of a juror who appeared inattentive and engaged with a smartwatch during trial. The Court of Appeals of Georgia affirmed most of the case but reversed the trafficking conviction. It held that the robbery and gang evidence was ample, that the tracking-dog testimony was admissible because it merely explained how officers found the mask rather than serving as substantive proof of guilt, and that the juror's removal was within the trial court's discretion. But the evidence was insufficient to tie Brown to possession of the methamphetamine found in the house, so that conviction and the merged drug counts had to be vacated and the case remanded for resentencing.
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