Opinion ID: 791049
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: 18 Whitehead also contends that, even if the items taken from the 1299 Ashland property are admissible, the evidence presented at trial was nevertheless insufficient to support his conviction on all three counts. With regard to Count One (felon in possession of a firearm), Whitehead argues that [t]he only evidence linking Defendant to the firearm recovered from 1299 Ashland was the testimony of Officer Marshall, Officer Kleinsorge, and Sergeant Johnson. Each officer saw the firearm inside the residence but no officer ever saw Defendant in physical possession of the shotgun. But Whitehead does not dispute the fact that, when accosted by the police, the shotgun was nearby. He further concedes the fact that he was the only person on the first floor of the house, and that Peterson, the only other person in the house, was apprehended by the police on the second floor. These facts, taken together, could lead a reasonable trier of fact to conclude that Whitehead was in constructive possession of the weapon. See United States v. Kincaide, 145 F.3d 771, 782 (6th Cir.1998) (Proof that the person has dominion over the premises where the firearm is located is sufficient to establish constructive possession.) (citations and quotation marks omitted). Whitehead's argument that the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction on Count One is therefore unpersuasive. 19 Whitehead next argues that his conviction on Count Two (possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute) is unsupportable because there was no evidence linking his acknowledged crack cocaine possession with an attempt to sell it. In particular, Whitehead argues that no Government witnesses testified to seeing Defendant engaged in drug dealing from the residence. In addition, on the day of the search, no officer saw pedestrian traffic around the residence suggesting drug sales. 20 Whitehead's argument, however, overlooks the fact that the search of 1299 Ashland was predicated upon complaints of drug trafficking activity that had been observed by several police officers. Furthermore, the fact that the crack cocaine found in Whitehead's sock was packaged in 37 separate plastic bags is far more consistent with the idea that it had been prepared for individual resale than for Whitehead's personal use. See United States v. Sanders, 341 F.3d 809, 816-17 (8th Cir.2003) (concluding that the defendant's action in dividing his supply of methamphetamine into twenty packets, each containing about a one-quarter gram of methamphetamine, was additional evidence to support a conviction on the charge of intent to distribute controlled substances). These facts, when taken together, could lead a reasonable trier of fact to conclude that Whitehead was in possession of the crack cocaine with the intent to distribute. His argument that the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction on this charge is therefore unpersuasive. 21 Whitehead also contests the sufficiency of the evidence used to convict him on Count Three (possession of a firearm in furtherance of his drug dealings). He argues that there was no credible evidence that the recovered shotgun was connected to any drug distribution on Defendant's part. The present case, however, is controlled by United States v. Mackey, 265 F.3d 457 (6th Cir.2001). In that case, the police found the defendant standing outside a house, holding a sack containing cocaine. The police then searched the house and found a shotgun. Initially, the court noted that [i]n order for the possession to be in furtherance of a drug crime, the firearm must be strategically located so that it is quickly and easily available for use. Id. at 462. It further observed that [o]ther factors that may be relevant to a determination of whether the weapon was possessed in furtherance of the crime include whether the gun was loaded, the type of weapon, the legality of its possession, the type of drug activity conducted, and the time and circumstances under which the firearm was found. Id. And, in a factual analysis that applies directly to the facts in the present case, the court concluded that 22 there was an illegally possessed, loaded, short-barreled shotgun in the living room of the crack house, easily accessible to the defendant.... Defendant, stopped by police near the gun, possessed cocaine and a large sum of cash. From the evidence presented, a reasonable jury could infer that the purpose of the firearm was to provide defense or deterrence in furtherance of the drug trafficking for which defendant was arrested. 23 Id. at 462-63. 24 Like the defendant in Mackey, Whitehead was apprehended near the shotgun. The police also found multiple packets of crack cocaine stuffed in his sock and $67 in small bills in his pants pockets. From this evidence, a reasonable trier of fact could easily conclude that Whitehead was in possession the firearm in furtherance of his drug-possession. Whitehead's argument on Count Three is therefore unpersuasive.