Case Name: Jorge GARCIA, Petitioner, v. STATE of Florida, Respondent
Court: Florida Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2005-04-21
Citations: 901 So. 2d 788
Docket Number: No. SC03-1677
Parties: Jorge GARCIA, Petitioner, v. STATE of Florida, Respondent.
Judges: PARIENTE, C.J., and ANSTEAD and LEWIS, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 901
Pages: 788–801

Head Matter:
Jorge GARCIA, Petitioner, v. STATE of Florida, Respondent.
No. SC03-1677.
Supreme Court of Florida.
April 21, 2005.
James Marion Moorman, Public Defender and Carol J.Y. Wilson, Assistant Public Defender, Tenth Judicial Circuit, Bartow, FL, for Petitioner.
Charles J. Crist, Jr., Attorney General, Tallahassee, FL, Robert J. Krauss, Chief Assistant Attorney General and John M. Klawikofsky, Assistant Attorney General, Tampa, FL, for Respondent.

Opinion:
QUINCE, J.
We have for review the decision in Garcia v. State, 854 So.2d 758 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003), which certified conflict with the decision in Goodman v. State, 839 So.2d 902 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003). We have jurisdiction. See art. Y, § 3(b)(4), Fla. Const. For the reasons more fully expressed below, we quash the decision of the Second District Court of Appeal, and approve Goodman.
FACTS
The facts of this case are thoroughly set forth in the Second District's decision as follows:
In the early morning hours on June 9, 2001, Pasco County Deputy Sheriff Joseph Irizarry observed Garcia driving a truck. Garcia's vehicle first came to Deputy Irizarry's attention when it passed through a flashing yellow light without slowing down. Thereafter, Deputy Irizarry saw Garcia's vehicle go off the road while making a right-hand turn and then weave off the roadway onto the grassy shoulder three times. After observing this behavior and following Garcia's vehicle for approximately a quarter of a mile, Deputy Irizarry decided to stop Garcia's vehicle.
After the vehicle stopped and Deputy Irizarry approached the driver's window of the vehicle, he smelled alcohol and observed that Garcia's eyes were bloodshot and that Garcia's speech was slurred. Garcia was alone in the truck. Deputy Irizarry proceeded to conduct field sobriety tests. After conducting the tests, Deputy Irizarry arrested Garcia for driving under the influence.
In the meantime, Deputy Wilkins and Deputy Banner arrived at the scene. In the course of searching Garcia's truck incident to his arrest, Deputy Wilkins found an item — which looked like a softball wrapped in black electrical tape— underneath the passenger's seat of Garcia's truck. Garcia told the deputies at the scene that he did not know what the item was, that he had not seen it before, and had not known that it was in the truck. He also stated that his truck had recently been stolen and that some friends had been in his truck earlier that night. Subsequent tests conducted by the FDLE crime laboratory determined that an off-white powder contained within the item was a mixture containing methamphetamine and a cutting agent.
Garcia was charged by information with trafficking in methamphetamine, driving under the influence, and obstructing or resisting an officer without violence. In his testimony at trial, Garcia stated that the night of his arrest he had the truck at a party from about 7:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. His truck was used at the party for playing CDs. Garcia also used the truck on two occasions during the party to take friends to buy beer. Garcia denied using drugs. He testified that he did not put the tape-covered item in the truck, know it was there, or know what it contained. Finally, Garcia testified that his truck had been stolen on Wednesday, May 31, from a shop where he had taken it. The truck was recovered the following Monday in a dirty condition and containing items that did not belong to Garcia. After recovering the truck, he returned it to the shop for the installation of a stereo. When he later picked up the truck, it was clean.
Garcia was found guilty of the driving under the influence charge and guilty of the lesser-included crime of possession of methamphetamine on the trafficking offense. He was found not guilty of the obstructing or resisting charge.
During the trial, at the close of the State's evidence and at the close of all the evidence, Garcia moved for a judgment of acquittal on the trafficking charge pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.380(a). The motion was denied.
Id. at 760-61. At the jury charge conference, Garcia objected to the standard jury instruction that permitted the jury to infer or assume knowledge of the presence of the methamphetamine based on exclusive possession. The trial court overruled the objection, rejected Garcia's proposed special instructions, and read the standard instructions on trafficking. In listing the elements of trafficking, the trial court instructed the jury that "the defendant's knowledge 'that the substance was methamphetamine or a mixture containing methamphetamine' was a material element of the offense of trafficking." Id. at 764 (emphasis added). The trial court also instructed the jury concerning actual and constructive possession and stated as follows:
If a thing is in a place over which the person does not have control, in order to establish constructive possession, the State must prove the person has control over the thing, knowledge of the thing which was in the person's presence, and the knowledge of the illicit nature of the thing.
Id. at 765 (alteration in original). The trial court then gave an instruction on the elements of the lesser included offense of simple possession. That instruction omitted any reference to the requirement that the defendant have knowledge of the illicit nature of the substance. However, the trial court did state that the prior instruction regarding the "definition of possession . applies to the lesser charge as it did to the greater charge." Id. at 765. Garcia did not object to the failure to include the element of "knowledge of the illicit nature of the substance" in the jury instruction on the lesser included offense of possession.
During deliberations, the jury submitted a question to the court: "What is the difference between trafficking and possession of methamphetamine?" The court then reread the instructions on possession and trafficking, but not the instructions concerning actual and constructive possession. The jury acquitted Garcia of trafficking but found him guilty of the lesser included offense of possession. Garcia re newed his motion for judgment of acquittal and moved for a new trial. Both motions were denied.
Garcia raised several claims on appeal. The district court summarily denied all but the following two claims: (1) the trial court erred when it denied Garcia's motion for judgment of acquittal based on his contention that there was insufficient evidence to establish knowledge of the illicit nature of the substance, and (2) the trial court erred in giving a jury instruction on the lesser included offense of possession that did not include the "knowledge of the illicit nature of the substance" element, i.e., the "guilty knowledge element."
The district court held that the illicit nature of the substance is an indisputable element of the crime of drug possession pursuant to Chicone v. State, 684 So.2d 736, 737 (Fla.1996) (holding that guilty knowledge is an element of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia). The district court rejected the State's argument that the holding in Chicone was superseded by section 893.101, Florida Statutes (2002). That statute provides that knowledge of the illicit nature of a controlled substance is not an element of drug offenses, but lack of knowledge is an affirmative defense. The statute became law after Garcia committed the offense in this case. The district court then concluded that the instruction given was clearly inadequate and erroneous. However, the court also found that Garcia did not request an instruction concerning guilty knowledge with regard to the possession offense, nor did he object to the trial court's failure to give such an instruction. The error was not preserved, and the district court found that it was not fundamental. On this issue, the Second District certified conflict with Goodman, which holds that when a defendant denies knowledge of the presence of an illegal substance, he or she automatically places into dispute any knowledge of the illicit nature of the substance.
Law and Analysis
In 1973, this Court established a presumption of the scienter element of drug charges arising from actual possession. See State v. Medlin, 273 So.2d 394 (Fla.1973). In Medlin, the defendant gave a capsule to another person, and 'it contained an illegal substance. Despite the fact that Medlin told the other person that the capsule would make her "go up," Medlin argued that there was no proof at trial to show that he delivered the capsule with knowledge that it contained a barbiturate. Medlin was convicted of delivery of an unlawful barbiturate. The district court reversed the conviction finding that there was no proof adduced to show that Medlin delivered the capsule with knowledge that it -contained a barbiturate or barbiturate derivative. On review, this Court quashed the district court's decision and held that the State was not required to prove knowledge or intent since both were presumed from the doing of the prohibited act. The standard jury instructions for the crime of possession — the relevant crime in this case — were then adopted. In the instruction, knowledge of the presence of the substance was listed as an element, and the Medlin presumption was incorporated into that instruction by the following language: "If a person has exclusive possession of a thing, knowledge of its presence may be inferred or assumed." However, the instruction did not list knowledge of the illicit nature of the substance as an element. An accompanying note to the instruction stated that "[i]f the defense seeks to show a lack of knowledge as to the nature of a particular drug, an additional instruction may be required." Fla. Std. Jury Instr. (Crim.) Drug Abuse (1981).
In 1987, this Court addressed whether the jury instructions on trafficking of fenses were erroneous because they did not include knowledge of the nature of the substance as an element. See State v. Dominguez, 509 So.2d 917 (Fla.1987). The Court found, under the relevant statutes at the time, that mens rea was an element of all trafficking charges. The Court then expressly amended the jury instructions on trafficking offenses to include a fourth element: that the defendant "knew the substance was (specific substance alleged)." Id. at 918.
In 1996, the Court applied the rationale of Dominguez to possession offenses. See Chicone v. State, 684 So.2d 736 (Fla.1996). In Chicone, the defendant was convicted of possession of cocaine. The trial court refused Chicone's request to instruct the jury that the State had to prove he knew the substance he possessed was cocaine. On review, this Court held that guilty knowledge is part of the statutory offense charged. Id. at 738. The Court rejected the argument that Medlin stood for the proposition that guilty knowledge is not an element of possession and held that the relevant statutes expressly required that the defendant knowingly possess a controlled substance. In Chicone, the State was required to prove the defendant knew of the illicit nature of the items in his or her possession, and the existing jury instructions had to adequately state the "knowledge of the presence of the substance" element Id. at 745 (emphasis added). However, the trial court was only required to "expressly indicate to jurors that guilty knowledge means the defendant must have knowledge of the illicit nature of the substance allegedly possessed" if "specifically requested by a defendant." Id. at 745-46.
Chicone did not address whether an error in failing to give such a requested instruction is reviewable under a harmless error analysis or whether it is fundamental error. That issue was addressed in Scott v. State, 808 So.2d 166 (Fla.2002). In Scott, the defendant was convicted of possession of contraband (cannabis) in a correctional facility. At trial, Scott's defense was that he did not possess the contraband and had no knowledge of its presence in his locker, where it was found. He requested an instruction pursuant to Chicone that the guilty knowledge element includes knowledge of the illicit nature of the substance. The trial court denied the request. On review, this Court held that the trial court's failure to give the requested instruction was reversible error. This Court explained that the Chicone decision stood for the proposition that both knowledge of the presence of the substance and knowledge of the illicit nature of the substance are essential elements of the crime of possession of an illegal substance. Id. at 169. The Court then found that the standard jury instructions on possession were inadequate as they did not inform the jury of the illicit nature of the substance requirement of the guilty knowledge element. Id. at 170. This Court further found that it is error to fail to give the requested instruction even if the defendant did not explicitly say he did not have knowledge of the illicit nature of the substance. Id. at 172.
The defendant in Scott was not in actual, personal possession of the drugs, and the testimony indicated that his locker may have been accessible to other people, which raised the question of whether exclusive constructive possession was proved. Thus in Scott, the Court found reversible error and requested the Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases to propose an amendment to the jury instructions for possession offenses that would include knowledge of the illicit nature of the substance as an element. Id. at 172 n. 7.
When read together, Medlin, Chicone, and Scott stand for the proposition that "guilty knowledge" is an element of the offense of possession and must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The guilty knowledge element includes knowledge of both the 'presence of, and the illicit nature of, the substance possessed, and the jury should be instructed on both. When requested by the defendant, it is error for the trial court to fail to instruct the jury on the guilty knowledge element regardless of the defense, even when the State's case supports the Medlin presumption of knowledge. See Scott, 808 So.2d at 171. The error has been found harmful in cases where evidence tending to negate the Medlin presumption was presented. See Scott, 808 So.2d at 172.
Although we find that it was error for the trial court to fail to instruct the jury on the guilty knowledge element regardless of the defense, the error was not preserved. Therefore, we must determine whether such error is fundamental and per se reversible.
In deciding whether the failure to instruct that knowledge of the illicit nature of the substance is an element of the offense of possession is fundamental error, we consider State v. Delva, 575 So.2d 643 (Fla.1991). Delva was convicted of trafficking in cocaine. Delva's defense at trial was that he did not know the package of cocaine was in his car. There was no suggestion, however, that Delva did not know that the substance inside the package was cocaine. Because Delva did not argue that he had no knowledge of the illicit nature of the substance, this Court found that the failure to instruct the jury on that element of the crime could not be fundamental error and could only be preserved for appeal by a proper objection. Specifically, this Court stated, "Failing to instruct on an element of the crime over which the record reflects there was no dispute is not fundamental error and there must be an objection to preserve the issue for appeal." Delva, 575 So.2d at 645. Delva was affirmed by Reed v. State, 837 So.2d 366 (Fla.2002). In Reed, this Court held that the failure to give a jury instruction on an element of a crime is fundamental error if the element was disputed at trial. However, as the dissent points out, we have affirmed a conviction where the State failed to offer evidence on one element of a crime when that element was not disputed at trial. See F.B. v. State, 852 So.2d 226 (Fla.2003) (holding that the insufficiency of the evidence to prove one element of a crime does not constitute fundamental error where the defendant failed to object or to move for judgment of acquittal on this ground). We clearly stated in F.B. that our affirmance was premised on the fact that the defendant had not preservéd the issue of the sufficiency of the evidence for appellate review. Id. at 231.
In this case, the element of knowledge of the illicit nature is in dispute. A challenge to that element is encompassed in Garcia's argument that he did not know the container existed at all and he had never seen it before. By arguing that he did not have knowledge that the black taped package existed, the defendant in this' case is implicitly arguing that he did not have knowledge of the illicit nature of the substance inside of it. See, e.g., Scott, 808 So.2d at 169 (holding that Scott's argument that he did not possess the drugs and had no knowledge of the drug's presence in his locker encompasses the argument that he was unaware of the illicit nature of the substance). We find that the knowledge element of a possession charge includes both knowledge of possession and knowledge of the nature of the illegal substance. Thus, when a defendant argues that he or she had no knowledge that an illegal substance was in his or her possession, that defendant also disputes that he or she had knowledge of the nature of the illegal substance. When an essential element of a crime is in dispute at trial, such as the knowledge of the illicit nature of the substance in- a possession case, the failure to instruct the jury on that element is fundamental error.
CONCLUSION, _
Therefore, we approve the First District's decision in Goodman and quash the Second District's decision in this case.
It is so ordered.
PARIENTE, C.J., and ANSTEAD and LEWIS, JJ., concur.
WELLS, J., dissents with an opinion, in which CANTERO and BELL, JJ., concur.
. After the Scott decision was issued in January 2002, the Legislature enacted section 893.101, Florida Statutes (2002), which sets forth legislative intent that knowledge of the illicit nature of a controlled substance is not an element of any offense under chapter 893 but rather lack of knowledge of the illicit nature of a controlled substance is an affirmative defense to the offenses of the chapter. Id. Furthermore, the statute provides that when an affirmative defense under this statute is raised, there is a presumption that the possessor knew of the illicit nature of the substance. Id. This case was tried on December 11, 2001. Thus, this statute was enacted after the offense and trial in this case.
. Because of the statutory changes made by the Legislature, this decision is limited to cases tried prior to the effective date of the statute and pending on direct appeal.