Court Opinion

ID: 9517820
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 00:34:06.396045+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:16:14.270593
License: Public Domain

Mr. JUSTICE GEORGE J. MORAN, dissenting: I think that the evidence presented fails to support beyond a reasonable doubt the conclusion that the apartment was under the defendant’s control. The State contends and the majority agrees that where narcotics are found on the premises under the control of the defendant, this fact in and of itself gives rise to an inference of knowledge and possession which may be sufficient to sustain a conviction, absent exculpating evidence. It is true such an inference can be made (People v. Nettles (1961), 23 Ill. 2d 306, 178 N.E.2d 361), but only when the premises are shown to be under the control of the defendant. The evidence introduced to show defendant’s control over the apartment consisted of an admission allegedly made by the defendant but not contained in the police report, and men’s clothing found in the apartment. I do not believe the evidence shows beyond a reasonable doubt the defendant had control of the apartment or knowledge of the narcotics. Several unanswered questions corroborate my belief. The State failed to introduce any evidence as to who paid rent at the apartment. If evidence was introduced that indicated the defendant paid rent at the apartment, People v. Embry (1960), 20 Ill. 2d 331, 169 N.E.2d 767, would be controlling; absent evidence as to who paid the rent, Embry is not conclusive as to the facts in this case. The State contended that the defendant and Ms. Brule were living together apparently based on the finding of certain men’s and women’s clothing in the apartment. The fact that defendant was at the apartment and some of his clothing was found there does not sufficiently prove the defendant was living with Ms. Brule. No personal items belonging to the defendant were discovered at the apartment; only women’s underthings were found. It is logical that if the defendant was, in fact, living at the apartment, more of his personal belongings would have been discovered. The record shows that the arresting officers were unsure of who lived in the apartment. The search warrant obtained by the police did not include either the name of the defendant or Ms. Brule, and money seized at the apartment was returned to Ms. Brule, only, and not the defendant. The logical inference is that the police believed only Ms. Brule lived in the apartment. This belief is further demonstrated by the fact that the police initially charged only Ms. Brule with possession of narcotics. In my opinion, People v. Pugh (1967), 36 Ill. 2d 435, 223 N.E.2d 115, is applicable to this case. In Pugh the Supreme Court reversed a conviction for possession of narcotics because the State had not shown beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was in control of the premises where narcotics were found. The facts in Pugh are very similar to this case. In Pugh, as in this case, no evidence was introduced to show the defendant paid rent at the apartment. In both cases the defendant was undressed at the time of arrest and put on clothing that was in the apartment, and in both cases other men’s clothing was found in the apartment. The defendant in Pugh and the defendant in this case, allegedly admitted to living in the apartments; however, in both cases the admissions were not contained in the police reports. In both cases there was evidence that someone other than the defendants lived in the apartments. The majority attempts to distinguish People v. Pugh by pointing out that in the Pugh case the defendant took the stand and denied living in the apartment, whereas in this case the defendant did not testify. I do not think this adequately distinguishes Pugh so as to make its holding inapplicable. The State’s burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was in control of the apartment does not change when a defendant chooses not to take the stand. Therefore, I do not believe the evidence presented supports, beyond a reasonable doubt, the conclusion that the apartment was under the defendant’s control.