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STATE OF MICHIGAN COURT OF APPEALS

PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, Plaintiff-Appellee, v THOMAS NOLAN LOPEZ, Defendant-Appellant.

UNPUBLISHED October 4, 2011

No. 297835 Ottawa Circuit Court LC No. 09-034220-FH

Before: GLEICHER, P.J., and HOEKSTRA and STEPHENS, JJ. PER CURIAM. In exchange for the reduction of pending drug charges, Eric Flores volunteered to become a confidential informant. After Flores participated in two controlled buys of marijuana from defendant, the police obtained a warrant to search defendant's apartment. Investigating officers found almost 20 pounds of marijuana in the apartment, much of it packaged for sale. Defendant soon realized Flores's role as confidential informer, and claimed that Flores played him for a patsy by storing the marijuana in defendant's apartment. Flores failed to appear at defendant's trial, despite having been served with a subpoena issued by defense counsel. Defendant now urges us to find that Flores' absence requires a new trial, and raises several other challenges to his conviction and sentence. We find no merit in any of defendant's arguments, and affirm. I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY In November 2009, the Western Michigan Enforcement Team (WMET), a multi-county drug investigative unit, employed Flores as a confidential informant to conduct two controlled buys of marijuana from defendant. On Monday, November 9, Flores purchased

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