Case Name: STATE of Florida, Appellant, v. Allan David SNYDER, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1994-04-27
Citations: 635 So. 2d 1057
Docket Number: No. 92-02265
Parties: STATE of Florida, Appellant, v. Allan David SNYDER, Appellee.
Judges: RYDER, A.C.J., concurs.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 635
Pages: 1057–1061

Head Matter:
STATE of Florida, Appellant, v. Allan David SNYDER, Appellee.
No. 92-02265.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District.
April 27, 1994.
Robert A. Butterworth, Atty. Gen., Tallahassee, and Brenda S. Taylor, Asst. Atty. Gen., Tampa, for appellant.
Rochelle A. Reback, Tampa, for appellee.

Opinion:
THREADGILL, Judge.
The state appeals an order dismissing an information charging the appellee, Allan David Snyder, with possession of methamphetamine on May 23, 1991, in violation of section 893.13(1)©, Florida Statutes (Supp. 1990). We affirm.
Snyder filed a sworn motion to dismiss the information pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.190(c)(4), alleging that there were no material disputed facts and that the undisputed facts did not establish a prima facie case of guilt of possession.
The motion set forth the following facts, which the state does not dispute. Tampa police were investigating Snyder's codefend-ant John Parker for receiving controlled substances at Parker's post office box via Federal Express and UPS. On May 22, 1991, police executed a search warrant upon a Federal Express package at Parker's post office box and discovered one-half ounce of methamphetamine. The next day Snyder and Parker, friends since high school, met for lunch. Parker drove. After lunch, Parker stopped at his post office box; Snyder admits knowing that Parker was expecting the arrival of contraband. Parker went into the post office while Snyder remained in the ear. Parker returned with the methamphetamine. As he was driving Snyder back to his car which was parked at an area mall, Parker offered to let Snyder try some of the methamphetamine. Parking near Snyder's car, Parker poured two lines of methamphetamine onto a cassette case and placed the rest underneath his seat. Police arrived and arrested them before Parker had completed forming the lines.
Parker's affidavit, attached to the motion to dismiss, asserted that Snyder had not achieved actual possession of the methamphetamine and that he lacked constructive possession of the substance, because he had no right or opportunity to exercise dominion and control over it; the affidavit also alleged that Snyder had not participated in the purchase or delivery.
The state's traverse merely set forth facts that were undisputed by Snyder, that Snyder had prior knowledge of the delivery and intended to try some of the methamphetamine had police not intervened. The other allegations set forth in the traverse merely argue that the facts as alleged in the traverse amount to constructive possession. However, none of the factual allegations of the traverse give rise to a primary inference of dominion and control. The trial court dismissed the information on the undisputed facts because of the absence of any evidence of dominion and control by Snyder. We agree with this ruling.
Constructive possession requires proof that the defendant had dominion and control over the contraband and that he knew of its presence and illicit nature. Brown v. State, 428 So.2d 250 (Fla.1983). Mere proximity to contraband is not sufficient to establish dominion and control. Hons v. State, 467 So.2d 829 (Fla. 2d DCA 1985). Although Parker had offered to let Snyder try some of the methamphetamine, there was no evidence or factual assertions in the traverse from which to infer that Snyder had the right to compel Parker to fulfill his promise. The ability to reduce a controlled substance to one's actual possession was the key to the definition of constructive possession in Daudt v. State, 368 So.2d 52 (Fla. 2d DCA), cert, denied, 376 So.2d 76 (Fla.1979). In Daudt, this court found no dominion and control where there was no evidence from which to infer that a broker to a sale of marijuana could have personally carried through with the sale or forced the seller to close. The Fourth District came to the same conclusion in Roberts v. State, 505 So.2d 547 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987), approved, Campbell v. State, 577 So.2d 932 (Fla.1991), where the defendants had a contractual right to marijuana having paid for it, but where they were not yet able to reduce it to their possession because it was still in possession of the undercover officers, who were carrying the bales into the house, when the defendants were arrested.
The state argues that Snyder's proximity to the contraband together with his prior knowledge of the delivery and intent to try some of the substance gives rise to the inference that Snyder had a proprietary interest in the methamphetamine. For these facts to give rise to constructive possession, one must infer from the proprietary interest that Snyder had dominion and control. This reasoning is untenable because neither inference can be deduced from the available facts and because the ultimate existence of constructive possession requires an impermissible pyramiding of inferences. See I.F.T. v. State, 629 So.2d 179 (Fla.1993). The interpretation of the facts in the light most favorable to the state establishes no proprietary right in Snyder, see Daudt, nor any immediate right to reduce the methamphetamine to his possession, see Roberts, because Parker had not yet relinquished control over the line he was organizing for their use.
The undisputed facts show that police interrupted Parker before he had given Snyder a sample of the drug. The state's interpretation of the facts presumes that Parker had made an irrevocable gift to Snyder and deprives Snyder of the right to change his mind about accepting delivery.
A motion to dismiss shall be denied upon the filing of a traverse specifically denying the allegations of the motion only if the traverse creates a dispute as to material evidentiary facts, not if the traverse only disputes the legal effect of undisputed facts. State v. Hysell, 569 So.2d 866 (Fla. 5th DCA 1990). Where the undisputed facts do not establish a prima facie case, the trial court does not err in dismissing the information. State v. Morse, 399 So.2d 470 (Fla. 2d DCA 1981). We think the trial court properly granted the motion to dismiss in this case and affirm the order dismissing the information.
Affirmed.
RYDER, A.C.J., concurs.
SCHOONOVER, J., dissents with opinion.