State of Iowa
v.
Michael Francis Watson
Appellee
State of Iowa
Appellant
Michael Francis Watson
Attorney for the Appellee
Bridget A. Chambers, Assistant Attorney General
Attorney for the Appellant
C. Aron Vaughn
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Tama County, Lars G. Anderson, Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Vogel, C.J., Vaitheswaran, J., and Blane, S.J. Opinion by Blane, S.J. (4 pages)
Michael Francis Watson appeals from his conviction for possession of a controlled substance, to wit: methamphetamine. He argues trial counsel was ineffective in allowing him to plead guilty without a factual basis that he knowingly possessed methamphetamine because there were no lab reports in the record and the minutes of evidence did not identify the “criminalist” who would have provided relevant testimony. OPINION HOLDS: We take the minutes of evidence as facts in determining whether a factual basis exists for a plea. Because we find the record discloses ample evidence to satisfy this element of the offense, trial counsel was not ineffective, and we affirm.
