1 ... S eeTe x. R. App . P. 47. 4. 2 ... S eeTex . H ea l t h &Saf et y Code Ann. § 481. 115 ( a) , ( d) ( V er non 2 0 0 3 ); T e x . P e n a l C o d e A n n . § 1 2 .4 2 (b ) (V e rn o n S u p p . 2 0 0 8 ).



## COURT OFAPPEALS SECOND DISTRICTOF TEXAS FORT WORTH NO . 2- 07-463- CR E DW AR D G . CR OCK E T T AP P E L L ANT V . TH E STA TE O F TEXA S STA TE

----- ----- -- FR O M THE 396TH DI STRI CT CO URT O F TARRA NT CO UN TY

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### MEMORANDU M OPI NI ON 1

----- ----- -- A ppe l l antEdw ar d G. Cr ock ettap pea l s hi s con vi ct i on f orpos se ss i on of f ourgr am s orm or e b utl es s t han 2 0 0 g r am s ofco ca i ne enh anc ed by a pr i or bur gl ary c onvi ct i on. 2We a f f i r m.2

O n t h e n ig h to fD e c e m b e r2 8 , 2 0 0 6 , F o rtW o rt h P o lic e O f f ic e r sJ .H . H ill a n d D .M . M a rt in e zw e r e s t a k in g o u ta k n o w n d r u g h o u s e o n H a n n a S t r e e tin FortW ort h w hen a st at i on w agon p ul l ed up t o t he cur b i n f r ont oft he hou se. The d r i v e r , Ha r ry F o r d , e x i t e d t h e c a r , m e t b r i e f l y w i t h a n o t h e r m a n on t he door st ep, r et ur ned t o t he st at i on w ago n, an d dr oveaw ay. S u s p e c ti n g th a t a d ru g tra n s a c ti o n h a d j u s to c c u rre d , th e o ffice rs fo l l o w e d t h e s ta ti o n w a g o n se v e ral b l o c k s to a h o u se o n N o rt h w e st 2 6 th S t r eet . Fo r d par ked i n t he dr i vew ay and m etappel l anti n t he st r eet . A s O f f i cer H i l l ap pr oac hed For d, ap pel l antr et r ea t ed t o t he dr i vew ay nextt o t he st at i on w ago n. O f f i ce rH i l l s aw ap pel l antpl ac e h i s han d on t op oft he st at i on w ago n n e a r t h e d r iv e r ’s d o o r a n d w a it . O f f ic e rH ill w o n d e r e d w h ya p p e lla n tw a s“ s t ill hang i ng ar oun d t he ar ea, ” so he w ent t o t al k t o hi m . O f f i cer H i l l obser ved t hat app el l antw asve ry ne rvous ; hi s l i psw er e q ui ver i ng a nd hew asgl anc i ng a r ound and ove rhi s sh oul der . O f f i ce rH i l l t hen f r i sk ed app el l antasa pr ec aut i on a nd f oun d a “cr ack pi pe” on hi m . O f f i cerB . A . F ar m erar r i ved att hatpoi nt , and as he w as w al ki ng up t he dr i vew ay, he spot t ed a sm al l pl a sti c bag ofcr ack cocai ne r est i ng on t op of t he st at i on w agon . The off i cer s t hen ar r est ed a p p e l l a n t.3 ... Nea l v. S tate , 2 5 6 S .W .3 d 2 6 4 , 2 7 5 ( T e x . C ri m . A p p . 2 0 0 8 ), c ert. denied, 1 2 9 S . C t. 1 0 3 7 (2 0 0 9 ); W a tso nv. S tate , 204 S. W . 3d 404 , 414 ( Tex. C ri m . A p p . 2 0 0 6 ).

4 ... L a n c o nv. S tate , 2 5 3 S .W .3 d 6 9 9 , 7 0 5 (T e x . C r im . A p p . 2 0 0 8 ); W atson , 204 S. W . 3d a t414– 15, 417. 3 T h e S t a t e i n d i c t e d a p p e l l a n tf o rp o s s e s s i o n o fa c o n t r o l l e d s u b s t a n c e . He w a i v e d a j u ry a n d w a s tr i e d b e fo re th e c o u rt . T h e tr i a l co u rtfou n d h i m g u i l ty and s ent enc ed hi m t o t en yea r s i n pr i so n. In h is s o le p o in to n a p p e a l, a p p e lla n tc la im st h a tt h e e v id e n c e isf a c t u a lly i nsuf f i ci entt o sup p o rth i s convi ct i on becau se t he w i t nesses’ t est i m oni es con f l i ct ed and t he St at e’ s evi den ce w as i ns uf f i ci ent t o l i nk hi m t o the con t r aba nd. W h e n rev i e w i n g the fac tu a l su ffi c i e n c yo f t h e ev i d e n c e to s u p p o rt a con vi ct i on, w e v i ew al l t he evi den cei n a neu t r al l i ght , f avo r i ng ne i t herpa rt y. 3 W e t h e n a s kw h e t h e rt h e e v id e n c e s u p p o rt in g t h e c o n v ic t io n , a lt h o u g h le g a lly s u f f ic ie n t , is n e v e rt h e le s ss o w e a kt h a tt h e f a c t f in d e r ’s d e t e r m in a t io n isc le a r ly w r o n g a n d m a n if e s t lyu n ju s to rw h e t h e rc o n f lic t in g e v id e n c e s o g r e a t ly o u tw e i g h sth e e v i d e n c e s u p p o rti n g th e c o n v i c ti o n th a t th e fa c tfin d e r’s d e term i n a ti o n is m a n i fes tl yu n j u st. 4 T o r e v e r s e u n d e rt h e s e c o n d g r o u n d , we m us tdet er m i ne, w i t h som e obj ec t i ve bas i s i n t he r ec or d, t hatt he gr ea tw ei ght5 ... W atson , 204 S. W . 3d a t417. 6 ... Id . 7 ... Jo hn so nv. S tate , 2 3 S .W .3 d 1 , 1 2 (T e x . C ri m . A p p . 2 0 0 0 ); Cai n v. S tate , 9 5 8 S .W .2 d 4 0 4 , 4 0 7 (T e x . C ri m . A p p . 1 9 9 7 ).

8 ... Johnson , 23 S . W . 3d a t8. 9 ... Id . a t9. 4 and pr epo nde r anc e o fal l t he evi den ce , t hough l ega l l y s uf f i ci ent , co nt r adi ct s t he v e rdict. 5 W e c a n n o tc o n c lu d e t h a ta c o n v ic t io n isc le a r lyw r o n g o rm a n if e s t ly unj us tsi m pl y beca us e w e w oul d ha ve dec i ded di f f er ent l y t han t he t r i alco urtor because w e di sagr ee w i t h i t s r esol ut i on of a confl i ct i n t he evi dence. 6 W e m a y not si m pl y subst i t ut e our j udg m entf ort he f act f i nder ’ s. 7U n l e s sth e re c o rd cl ear l y r eveal s t hat a di f f er ent r esul ti s appr opr i at e, w e m ustdef ert o t he t r i al co u rt ’ s det er m i nat i on of t he w ei ght t o be gi ven con t r adi ct or y t est i m oni al evi den cebe ca us e r es ol ut i on o fthe c onf l i ctoft en t ur nson a n e val uat i on of cr edi bi l i t y a nd de m ea nor , an d t he t r i ero ffac tw asi n a t t end anc e w hen t he t es t i m ony w asde l i ver ed. 8Thus , w e m us tgi ve duede f er enc e t o t he f ac t f i nde r ’ s det er m i nat i ons , “ part i cul ar l y t hos e d et er m i nat i onsco nce r ni ng t he w e i g h t a n d c re d i b i l i tyo f th e e v i d e n c e .” 9A n opi ni on add res sing fact ual10 ... Si m s v. S tate , 9 9 S .W .3 d 6 0 0 , 6 0 3 (T e x . C ri m . A p p . 2 0 0 3 ). 11 ... Tex. H ea l t h &Saf et y Code An n. § § 4 81. 002 ( 38) ( V er non Supp . 2 0 0 8 ), 4 8 1 .1 1 5 (d ) (V e rn o n 2 0 0 3 ); Po i n dex ter v. S tate , 153 S. W . 3d 402, 4 0 5

– 0 6 (T e x . C ri m . A p p . 2 0 0 5 ).

12 ... S ee Poi

ndexter, 153 S. W . 3d a t406. 13 ... Id. ( quot i ng Brownv. S tate , 9 11 S. W . 2d 744, 747 ( Tex. Cr i m . A pp. 1 9 9 5 )).

14 ... T a yl o r v. S tate , 1 06 S. W . 3d 827 , 8 31 ( Tex. A pp. — D al l as2003 , no p e t.). 5 su f f i ci enc y m us ti ncl udea di sc us si on oft he m os ti m port antan d r el eva nt e v id e n c e t h a ts u p p o rt st h e a p p e lla n t ’s c o m p la in to n a p p e a l. 10 A per son unl aw f ul l y possesses contr aband w hen he ( 1) exer ci ses act ual ca r e, cu st ody, co nt r ol , or m ana gem ent ove r t he con t r aba nd a nd ( 2) kn ow s t he m att erposs es se d i s con t r aba nd. 11 W hen t her e i s no evi dence t hatt he accused w as i n exc l us i ve con t r ol of t he pl ac e w her e t he con t r aba nd w as f ou nd , t he St at e m us tof f erad di t i ona l , i nde pen den tf ac t s and ci r cum st anc est hat“ l i nk”t he ac cus ed t o t he con t r aba nd. 12 W h e t h e rt h ise v id e n c e isd ir e c to rc ir c u m s t a n t ia l,

“ i t m u s t e s ta b l i s h , to th e re q u i s i te l e v e l o f c o n fi d e n c e , th a t th e a c c u s e d ’s c o n n e c ti o n w i th th e d ru g w a sm o re th a n j u s t fo rtu i to u s .” 13 N o f or m ul a exi st s t o di ct at e a f i ndi ng o f l i n k s suf f i ci entt o suppo rtan i nf er enc e ofknow i ng po ss es si on. 14 I ti s t he l ogi ca l f or ceoft he evi den ce , an d15 ... Eva n s v. S tate , 2 0 2 S .W .3 d 1 5 8 , 1 6 6 (T e x . C ri m . A p p . 2 0 0 6 ). 16 ... See Ta yl

or, 106 S. W . 3d a t831. 17 ... T urner v. S tate , 4S .W .3 d 7 4 , 8 3 (T e x . A p p .— W a c o 1 9 9 9 , n o p e t.). 6 n o t t h e n u m b e r of l i n k s, tha t su p p o rt s a fac tfi n d e r’ s v e rdict. 15Possi bl e l i nks i ncl udebutar e n otl i m i t ed t o ( 1) w het hert he def end antw aspr es entw hen t he d ru g sw e re fo u n d ; (2 ) w h e th e r th e d ru g sw e re i n p l a i n v i e w ; (3 ) th e d e fe n d a n t’s pr oxi m i t y t o t he dr ugsan d t hei rac ce ss i bi l i t y; ( 4) w het hert he def end ant pos se ss ed ot herco nt r aba nd ordr ug pa r aph er nal i a; an d ( 5) w het hert he def endan tm ade f urt i ve gest ur es. 16 A ppl yi ng t he r el eva ntl i nksl i st ed abo ve to t hi s ca se , t he r ec or d s how s th a t ap p e l l a n t w a s i n kn o w i n g p o ss e ss i o n o f th e d rug s at th e ti m e o f his arres t. The e vi den cede sc r i bed ab oves how s t hatap pel l antw aspr es entw hen t he dr ugsw er e f ound, t hathem adef urt i ve ges t ures, t hathepos se ss ed dr ug par aph er nal i a a tt he t i m e o fhi s ar r es t , t hatt he dr ugsw ere i n pl ai n vi ew , an d t hatt he dr ugsw er e p r oxi m at e t o a ppe l l antan d a cc es si bl e t o hi m . Al t hough app el l ant poi nt s out a num ber of di sc r epa nci es and con f l i ct s i n the t est i m ony r el evantt o t hese l i nks, he does not expl ai n how t hey r endert he evi dence f act ual l y i nsuf f i ci ent . M er e cont r adi ct i ons i n t est i m ony m ade by w i t nesses at t r i a l w i l l n o ts u f f i c e t o o v e rt u r n a c o n v i c t i o n b a s e d o n f a c t u a l i n s u f f i c i e n cy. 17 Rat her , co nt r adi ct i onsorco nf l i ct s r el at e t o t he w ei ghtan d c r edi bi l i t y oft he18 ... Wei sing er v. S tate , 775 S . W . 2d 424, 4 2 9 ( Tex. A pp. — H ous t on [1 4 th D i s t.] 1 9 8 9 , p e t. re f’d ).

19 ... See W

atson , 2 0 4 S .W .3 d a t 4 1 4

– 1 5 , 4 1 7 ; Johnson , 2 3 S . W . 3d at 8, 11. 7 evi dence. 18 A s f ac t f i nde r , t he t r i alco urtr es ol ved an y a l l ege d c onf l i ct s i n t he w i t nes se s’ t es t i m ony i n t he S t ate ’ s f avo r , an d vi ew i ng t he ent i r e r ec or d i n a neu t r all i ght , w e c ann ot sa y t hat t he t r i al cou rt ’ s r es ol ut i on ofco nf l i ct s i n t he tes ti m o n yw a s c l e a rl yw ron g o r m a n i fes tl yu n j u st. 19A c c o r d in g ly , w e o v e r r u le a p p e l l a n t’ s s o l e p o i n t of e rr o r an d affi rm the tr i a l co u rt ’s j u d g m e n t. P E R CU R I AM PA N EL: CA YC E, C. J. ; W A LKER and M C C O Y, JJ. DO NO T P UBLI SH Tex. R. A pp. P. 47. 2( b) DEL I VERE D: J un e 18, 2009