We've got a case where the defendant (a local J.P.) was caught carrying a bottle of urine into a drug test. Since we alleged the substance was urine, I am trying to get ready to prove that fact.

The problem is that SWIFS and the other labs we typically use do not offer a test to determine if the yellowish liquid is in fact urine and not apple juice.

I'm thinking this has surely come up before. Any suggestions (other than a smell/taste test)?

Check with a pharmacist to see if I'm off base, but I wonder if it would work to use a pregnancy test stick - I am pretty sure it detects human hormones (regardless of whether or not the person is pregnant). If the control line doesn't show up there is likely a problem.

Scientific stuff on pregnancy tests

P.S. I failed chemistry so I could be totally off base. But it seems like it might work.

Get that guy who has a fetish for young male urine to taste it. Sounds like he is an expert.

Accu-Chem Labs
972.234.5412
Dr. John Lassiter

I've used Dr. Lassiter before - excellent witness. But I heard he sold his lab a few months back and it now does other things. My investigator told me that just the other day when we were submitting the real urine for drug testing.

I was thinking of contacting a regular medical lab where they routinely test urine for all the things that go wrong with us old people. They could at least determine that the liquid contains the all same stuff urine usually does. But the cost would be too high and I'd bet they're not certified by DPS.

Barring a better idea, I might just change the allegation from 'urine' to a 'yellowish-colored liquid'. All the statute requires is a 'substance'. Besides, don't those places that sell 'whizzinators' also sell a liquid to go in them?

BTW Gretchen, that sounds like a good idea. But JB's idea gave me the willies.

The Texas Department of Health labortory in Austin does testing for evidence collected by Office of Inspector General in TDCJ Chunking cases. These cases are tested for urine, etc when inmates throw the stuff on the correctional officers.

Thanks, Joe. I knew there had to be someone who routinely did that for prison cases.

John,

I know the Judge you are talking about. Your post explains that blank look she always had from the bench when I was trying traffic cases as a baby prosecutor in her court many years ago.