Court Opinion

ID: 9595310
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 00:38:34.711808+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:01:27.567332
License: Public Domain

BACA, Justice (dissenting). I respectfully dissent from the majority’s opinion. Before explaining why I believe the court errs in upholding dismissal, I wish to make it clear that I do not condone a police department’s, or any investigative branch of the state’s, negligence or malfeasance in failing to safeguard and preserve for trial evidence relating to a crime. The police have a duty to insure that all relevant evidence is properly preserved for use by the state and the defense, when appropriate. It must assist the prosecution in making its case and assist the state in obtaining proper convictions while preventing aspersions from being cast on the criminal trial process. Having said this, I believe in this case, where there is no claim that the evidence was lost in bad faith, and the defendant has not shown prejudice to the degree that he would be denied a fair trial, dismissal exceeded the court’s discretion. In State v. Chouinard, 96 N.M. 658, 662-63, 634 P.2d 680, 684-85 (1981), cert. denied, 456 U.S. 930, 102 S.Ct. 1980, 72 L.Ed.2d 447 (1982), we indicated that when evidence is lost negligently or in a way not involving bad faith, a defendant bears the burden to show prejudice and materiality before sanctions are appropriate. Once this burden has been carried, the court has two options: exclusion of all evidence that the lost evidence might have impeached, or admission with full disclosure of the loss. Dismissal is an extreme sanction to be applied- only in exceptional cases, when it appears that the defendant could not receive a fair trial. State v. Bartlett, 109 N.M. 679, 789 P.2d 627 (Ct.App.1990). As far as the lost drug paraphernalia, it is not apparent to me that the loss prejudiced the defendant. The state apparently did not intend to offer chemical analysis of the lost items, and offered to present photographs of the methamphetamine laboratory.1 The lost fingerprints present a more difficult case, but their loss does not appear to rise to the level of preventing a fair trial and thus does not justify the draconian sanction of dismissal. The district court indicated that, because the fingerprint was lost, the prosecution could prove no more than the presence pf the defendant at the scene of the laboratory. There are, however, in addition to direct proof, alternative means to show possession. It can be shown through circumstantial evidence. See State v. Sanchez, 98 N.M. 428, 649 P.2d 496 (Ct.App.1982); State v. Paul, 82 N.M. 619, 485 P.2d 375 (Ct.App.), cert. denied, 82 N.M. 601, 485 P.2d 357 (1971) (circumstantial evidence connecting defendant to crime may serve as basis for inference of fact to establish offense); see also SCRA 1986, 14-5001, -002 (Uniform Jury Instruction condoning use of circumstantial evidence). It is well established that, to establish possession of narcotics, actual possession need not be proven — constructive possession suffices. See United States v. Medina, 834 F.2d 874 (10th Cir.1987); State v. Montoya, 94 N.M. 704, 616 P.2d 417 (1980); State v. Brietag, 108 N.M. 368, 772 P.2d 898 (Ct.App.1989); State v. Doe, 103 N.M. 178, 704 P.2d 432 (Ct.App.1984) (constructive possession where defendant shown to have knowledge of presence of controlled substance and control over substance); see also SCRA 1986, 14-3130 (Uniform Jury Instruction). A reading of this authority indicates that the prosecution could prove possession without evidence of a fingerprint connecting the defendant directly to the paraphernalia. Because this case is not before us on a complete record,2 we do not know what other evidence was offered by the state to prove possession, and therefore whether it was an abuse of discretion to dismiss. I do believe, however, that if the state could prove possession by alternative means, the court did abuse its discretion by dismissing this case.  . In Chouinard, 96 N.M. at 661-62, 634 P.2d at 683-84, we noted that certain types of evidence may be used up or lost before its significance is realized without prejudice to the defendant, and sanctions are inappropriate.   . Certiorari was granted off of the court of appeals’ summary calendar.