Court Opinion

ID: 9731037
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 15:31:13.180062+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:26:12.460031
License: Public Domain

Mr. JUSTICE HARRY, dissenting: Although I agree with the reversal of the judgment of conviction for burglary by the majority, I must disagree with the reversal of one judgment of conviction for the unlawful possession of a controlled substance. The majority reasons that there was “only a single uninterrupted act from the unlawful entry to the possession of drugs * * This position is, I believe, a result of a misconception of the law. The only cases cited by the defendant are cases involving the theft of different types of property. The majority picked up on this argument, relying on People v. Israel (1915), 269 Ill. 284, 109 N.E. 969. Clearly, if a person stole a car and a boat at the same time, there would be only one theft even if the car and boat had different owners because there was only one act of theft. On the other hand, the offenses in issue here are the possession of two different kinds of drugs where the statute defines and schedules the possession of each as a separate offense. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 56½, pars. 1402(a)(5) and 1402(a)(6).) The act of possession of one type of drug is not an act of possession of any other type. Therefore, a defendant may be convicted of more than one unlawful possession if caught with more than one type of controlled substance in his or her possession. The defendant agrees that, under the “usual” drug possession circumstances, a person may be convicted of two or more drug offenses. However, the defendant argues that this case presents an unusual situation because there was no time for the defendant to differentiate between the various substances stolen. I disagree. Although knowledge is an essential element of the offense of unlawful possession of a controlled substance (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 56½, par. 1402), the defendant’s knowledge of the nature of the drugs in his possession may be inferred from the evidence. People v. Harris (1972), 52 Ill. 2d 558, 288 N.E.2d 385. When the defendant was apprehended, the police found a great number of pharmaceutical pills in the lining of his jacket and on the floor underneath his body. I believe this court should take judicial notice of the fact that, of those pills which were identifiable by brand name, all, without exception, were “uppers” or “downers”. From this evidence a jury could reasonably infer that the defendant knew he possessed more than one type of controlled substance. Furthermore, the defendant remained in the store after closing, rather than breaking into the store. From this fact, a jury could reasonably infer that the defendant had an opportunity to determine which drugs he wanted to take and, therefore, that he knew what types of drugs were in his possession. Accordingly, I would have affirmed the judgment of the Circuit Court of Will County convicting the defendant of two counts of possession of a controlled substance, while reversing the judgment of the same court on the burglary conviction.