Court Opinion

ID: 9648209
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 14:09:36.417861+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:30:03.971895
License: Public Domain

James R. Cooper, Judge, dissenting. Although I do not disagree with the majority’s statement of the applicable law, I must respectfully dissent because I cannot find the evidence sufficient to support Mr. White’s convictions for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. I believe that the evidence fails to show additional facts and circumstances linking him to the contraband. Under circumstances indicating joint occupancy, the State had to prove that the accused exercised care, control, and management over the contraband and that he knew the matter possessed was contraband. Parette v. State, 301 Ark. 607, 786 S.W.2d 817 (1990); Plotts v. State, 297 Ark. 66, 759 S.W.2d 793 (1988). In Denton v. State, 290 Ark. 24, 716 S.W.2d 198 (1986), our Supreme Court required evidence, other than the joint occupancy by the appellant of the bedroom in which the contraband was found, to link the appellant to the contraband. The Court in Denton found a report of an electronic surveillance of a drug buy that implicated the appellant sufficient to provide the additional link between the appellant and the contraband found in the master bedroom jointly occupied by the appellant and his wife. In other cases, additional factors found sufficient to link the accused to the contraband have included: previous sales or controlled drug buys made at the premises, incriminating statements or suspicious behavior by the accused, attempts to destroy or conceal evidence, use of the contraband by the accused, contraband found on the accused’s person, close proximity of the contraband to the accused and the fact the contraband was in plain view. See Jacobs v. State, 317 Ark. 454, 878 S.W.2d 734 (1994); Heard v. State, 316 Ark. 731, 876 S.W.2d 231 (1994); Pyle v. State, 314 Ark. 165, 862 S.W.2d 823 (1993), cert denied 114 S. Ct. 1306 (1994); Nichols v. State, 306 Ark. 417, 815 S.W.2d 382 (1991); Crossley v. State, 304 Ark. 378, 802 S.W.2d 459 (1991); West-brook v. State, 286 Ark. 192, 691 S.W.2d 123, cert denied 474 U.S. 1006 (1985); Cary v. State, 259 Ark. 510, 534 S.W.2d 230 (1976). There were no such additional facts or circumstances in the case at bar. Although Mrs. White testified that her husband was aware that she smoked the marijuana, knowledge alone is not sufficient to prove constructive possession. Here, there was no evidence that the appellant exercised care, control and management over the contraband. The appellant was not present when the officers searched the house, there was no contraband found on his person when he was arrested, and there was no evidence that he used the contraband. Although there was marijuana and paraphernalia found in the master bedroom closet, there was no testimony as to who used the closet or if there were both male and female types of clothing in it. Officer Hubbard only testified that both the appellants’ clothing were found in the bedrooms of the house. Mrs. White testified that her husband did not use the closet in which the contraband was found. She stated that he kept his clothes on a rack on his side of the bedroom and introduced photographs to support this contention. As to the marijuana found in the jacket in the living room, there was no testimony as to whether it was a man’s or a woman’s jacket. Ms. White admitted that the marijuana and paraphernalia were hers and that she was the only one who used them. See Ravellette v. State, 264 Ark. 344, 571 S.W.2d 433 (1978). I submit that the evidence in this case fails to show that Mr. White constructively possessed the marijuana and drug paraphernalia and is insufficient to support his convictions on those counts. See also Osborne v. State, 278 Ark. 45, 643 S.W.2d 251 (1982); Ravellette v. State, supra. I would reverse and dismiss Mr. White’s convictions for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.