Christopher

Defendant Carrea Christopher, Jr., appeals from a judgment of conviction after a jury found him guilty of possessing cocaine. (Health & Saf. Code, § 11350, subd. (a).) His sole appellate argument is the court erred in finding the prosecutor’s peremptory challenge of the only African-American prospective juror did not constitute a prima facie case of group bias. We disagree and affirm.

Factual and Procedural Background

During the course of selecting Christopher’s jury, Sandra White was the only African-American to be seated as a potential juror. In response to voir dire questioning, White stated that she was married and the mother of two young children. She worked for the county tax assessor and her husband worked as a dispatcher for a concrete company. She had a friend who recently became a police officer. White also described one experience with the police department when her car was stolen. The police apprehended a suspect shortly after the theft was reported. She explained that neither her friendship with the police officer nor her experience when her car was stolen would affect her ability to be impartial.

Following a short voir dire, the prosecutor utilized his…