State v. Valdez

Summary

The court affirmed Valdez's convictions for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and drug paraphernalia possession, holding that the challenged jury instructions were legally erroneous or should have included additional lesser offenses but did not constitute clear error warranting reversal. It reversed the firearm-possession conviction because the evidence and stipulations did not establish which statutory basis supported the conviction, and it vacated the associated sentence without remanding. The court also upheld the district court's inquiry into Valdez's complaints about trial counsel and declined to reach his unpreserved constitutional challenges.