Court hears lab and witness testimony after San Antonio crash; lab finds methamphetamine and fentanyl in backpack

Judge Stephanie Boyd of the 187th District Court heard testimony and admitted lab and video evidence Friday in the case arising from a vehicle crash and a backpack of suspected narcotics found nearby.

The Bexar County Criminal Investigations Laboratory analyst Michael Frantz testified that laboratory testing identified methamphetamine in crystalline samples and fentanyl in pill samples and reported specific measured weights for the tested portions. Frantz said the laboratory result for one tested crystalline lot was “499.52 grams plus or minus 0.04 grams,” and he identified separate tested portions of tablet evidence and additional crystalline seized material that were reported in the lab record.

Why it matters: Prosecutors linked the backpack and its contents to the defendant, Felipe Reyes, who was detained after the crash. Defense lawyers challenged how evidence was processed and whether portions of some packages were not tested; they also pressed over whether a voluntary written acknowledgment by Reyes reflected his own statement and whether body‑worn camera audio was muted while officers discussed case tactics.

Prosecutors called San Antonio Police Department detectives and a forensic chemist to describe the surveillance, crash, evidence collection and laboratory testing. Detective testimony described following a Nissan Rogue after surveillance of an apartment, the vehicle’s failure to stop for marked units, a crash and officers locating a blue backpack at a collision repair facility. Detective Justin Ramirez (COBRA unit) and Detective Robles described observing the backpack and the scene, and Detective…