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 Carmel/Carmichael (covert/evidence unit) described seizing and packaging multiple bagged items from inside the backpack and transporting them to the property room. Detective Carmichael testified the field weight of a large seized package was about 2,098.2 grams.

Michael Frantz, a forensic chemist who testified for the state, described the lab’s procedures for sampling, presumptive screening and definitive gas‑chromatography/mass‑spectrometry analysis. He testified that tested portions yielded methamphetamine in the crystalline material and fentanyl in at least one set of tablets, and that the lab report (CIL 24‑06979) contained measured weights for the tested samples (for example, a tested crystalline portion reported as 499.52 grams ± 0.04 g; other tested portions reported as 30.248 g and 353.99 g in the lab record the witness identified).

Defense questioning focused on two issues: (1) which subpackages were actually analyzed in the lab versus those marked “not tested” on the packaging, and (2) whether Detective Robles muted his body‑worn camera’s microphone early at the scene and left it muted for an extended period while officers discussed who would handle evidence and statements. Detective Carmichael and Ramirez acknowledged that parts of the box and some subpackages were not submitted for chemical testing and that a lab notation on certain bags read “not tested.” Ramirez and Carmichael also testified that Detective Robles muted his body camera microphone about four minutes into his recorded footage and that the microphone remained muted for most of the two‑hour processing period; defense counsel argued the muting and the absence of certain lab tests could affect the admissibility or weight of statements and investigative detail.

The court ruled on several evidentiary items during the hearing. The judge admitted in evidence the state’s video exhibit (body‑worn camera footage, admitted as State’s Exhibit 5) after defense objection; admitted State’s Exhibits 6 (physical narcotics packaging) and 7–11 (additional seized items) without objection; admitted State’s Exhibits 12–14 (photos of the backpack and its contents); admitted State’s Exhibit 16 (a voluntary acknowledgment form purportedly signed by Reyes) and admitted the lab report as State’s Exhibit 18 with redactions. The court sustained the state’s objection to defense efforts to introduce a witness to offer what the court characterized as a “self‑serving” statement by the defendant (ruling the defense witness’s proposed testimony inadmissible as hearsay for that purpose), but allowed a separate witness to testify about Reyes’s ability to understand written materials and his developmental/educational history.

Tammy Richardson, who described herself as a long‑time neighbor and a maternal figure to Reyes, testified about his school history and learning difficulties, saying Reyes was diagnosed with dyslexia and that “he calls me son,” and describing that he needed help with reading and testing and had trouble with some job tasks. Richardson’s testimony was admitted to bear on the question whether Reyes understood or could knowingly sign the written voluntary acknowledgment that investigators presented at the scene.

The defense emphasized that much of the material inside the large evidence box was not individually chemically tested; the lab witness and detective witnesses confirmed that the lab analyzed representative samples and that some subpackages were marked “not tested” because the laboratory’s reporting reached the relevant penalty group totals on the tested portions. Frantz explained the lab’s standard practice for weighing and sampling and said the gas‑chromatography/mass‑spectrometry results were the basis for reporting methamphetamine and fentanyl in the tested samples.

What’s next: The state excused several witnesses subject to recall. The hearing record shows the court admitted the state’s video and selected physical exhibits and accepted the lab report with redactions; defense counsel continues to press challenges tied to the muting of the body‑worn camera and to which subpackages were actually tested. The case remains pending; no final adjudication occurred at this hearing.

Sources and evidence in the record: court testimony from Detective Justin Ramirez (COBRA unit), Detective Robles, Detective Carmichael/Carmel (covert/evidence), forensic chemist Michael Frantz (Bexar County Criminal Investigations Laboratory), and witness Tammy Richardson; State’s Exhibits 5, 6, 7–11, 12–14, 16 and 18; SAPD case number 24233479.

Ending note: The transcript shows the court balancing standard evidentiary protections against the prosecution’s presentation of physical and laboratory evidence; defense objections focused on evidentiary completeness and the voluntariness and provenance of a written acknowledgment that the state says ties Reyes to the backpack found after the crash.