Commonwealth v. Chenet
Commonwealth v. Chenet
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The appellant, Richard P. Chenet, was charged with possession of marijuana and was convicted by a jury. He subsequently filed a motion for a new trial alleging trial errors and a motion in arrest of judgment arguing that the evidence was insufficient to sustain the verdict. The court granted the motion for a new trial because of improper comments made by the prosecutor; but refused the motion in arrest of judgment. The defendant has appealed from the refusal of the arrest of judgment.
The sheriffs then waited for the appellant to return. Several hours later the appellant drove up alone in a sports car belonging to his attorney. Appellant was placed under arrest. The sheriffs thereafter obtained another warrant to search the car, and the subsequent search revealed two marijuana cigarettes in the unlocked compartment between the two front seats.
“In passing upon such a motion [in arrest of judgment], the sufficiency of the evidence must be evaluated upon the entire trial record. All of the evidence must be read in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth and it is entitled to all reasonable inferences arising
Because the marijuana was not found on the person of appellant, constructive possession must be established by the Commonwealth. Commonwealth v. Samuels, 235 Pa. Superior Ct. 192, 203, 340 A.2d 880, 886 (1975). Also there was evidence that while appellant rented the trailer, he shared its occupancy with another individual. Under these circumstances we must recognize that “the fact of possession loses persuasiveness if persons other than the accused had equal access to the place in which the contraband was found.” Commonwealth v. Ferguson, 231 Pa. Superior Ct. 327, 333, 331 A.2d 856, 860 (1974). When, as in the present ease, another individual has equal access to the area where the drugs are found, the Commonwealth may obtain a conviction if it can prove joint constructive possession. See Commonwealth v. Carter, 230 Pa. Superior Ct. 236, 326 A.2d 480 (1974) ; Commonwealth v. Walley, 225 Pa. Superior Ct. 465, 310 A.2d 381, allocatur refused, 225 Pa. Superior Ct. xlii (1973). To establish joint constructive possession the Commonwealth must show that the appellant had knowledge of the presence of the drugs and the intent to exercise control over them and these elements may be inferred from the totality of the surrounding circumstances. Commonwealth v. Griffin, 230 Pa. Superior Ct. 425, 326 A.2d 554 (1974).
Although a defendant’s presence in the area where the drugs are found is usually held to be sufficient to demonstrate his knowledge of the drugs, other circumstances are necessary to link the defendant with the drugs in order to obtain a conviction for possession. See Commonwealth v. Ambers, 225 Pa. Superior Ct. 381, 310
In the present case marijuana was found in the ashtray and trash barrel in the living room of the trailer shared by appellant and his roommate. Marijuana seeds were also found on the kitchen floor and a sizeable amount of marijuana was found in the milk box attached to the trailer post. There was no evidence of any other persons living in the trailer besides appellant and his roommate. See Commonwealth v. Hannan, 229 Pa. Superior Ct. 540, 331 A.2d 503 (1974). Nor was there evidence that some visitor may have left the marijuana in the trailer. “If, .. ., the contraband is found in a place usually only accessible to the defendant, it can be reasonably inferred either that he put it there himself, or if
We believe that there is an additional circumstance involved in this case which permits the drawing of the inference that appellant had the corresponding intent to exercise control over the drugs found in the trailer. Returning to the facts of the instant case, we observe that after the search of the trailer was conducted appellant arrived in a sports car that was owned by his attorney. A search of that car revealed the presence of two marijuana cigarettes in the console compartment between the two front seats. Our Court has recently upheld a sufficiency of the evidence challenge in a case where a bag of heroin was found on the floor of the driver’s side of a car and the defendant was the driver and sole occupant of a car but apparently not the owner. Commonwealth v. Wright, 234 Pa. Superior Ct. 83, 339 A.2d 103 (1975). Even if we were to view the marijuana found in the car as insufficient standing alone to show possession, we feel that when this evidence is considered in conjunction with the quantity of marijuana found in and around the trailer it presents the additional circumstance that would justify the inference that appellant had the intent to exercise control over the drugs in the trailer. Especially appropriate to this case is the following quotation from Commonwealth v. Gladden, 226 Pa. Superior Ct. 13, 18, 311 A.2d 711, 713 (1973): “Individually, the circumstances may not be of decisive import. But in combination, we believe, they would justify a deduction by a trier of facts that the [defendant] was aware of the items in question.”
Where illegal drugs are found not only in appellant’s residence but also in the car in which he was the sole occupant, we rule that the circumstances are sufficient
Order affirmed.
. We were initially concerned about the appealability of this order. We are of the opinion, however, that we can and should reach
. The warrant was obtained several days before the four corners rule became effective, Pa.R.Crim.P. 2003; thus, testimony was admitted at the suppression hearing to establish the probable cause. This testimony was clearly sufficient to satisfy the Aguilar-Spinelli test. [Aguilar v. Texas, 378 U.S. 108 (1964) and Spinelli v. United States, 393 U.S. 410 (1969).]
Dissenting Opinion
Dissenting Opinion by
Appellant was found guilty by a jury of possession of marijuana.
The circumstances leading to appellant’s arrest and conviction are these. On May 19, 1973, a search warrant was issued for a trailer jointly occupied by appellant and his roommate. At approximately ten o’clock p.m., three deputy sheriffs arrived at the trailer park and waited to execute the warrant for twenty minutes until appellant’s roommate returned with a female companion. The warrant was served and the ensuing search produced a small quantity of marijuana seeds on the floor of the kitchen, several marijuana cigarette butts in an ash tray in the living room, and a clear plastic bag with marijuana residue in a wooden nail keg in the living room. The sheriff’s deputies extended their search outside the trailer and found four plastic bags containing a total of eighty grams of marijuana. The four bags were found in a metal milk delivery box attached to the trailer hitch. The search was concluded at approximately eleven-thirty p.m.
Appellant now contends that the court en banc erred in denying his motion for arrest of judgment because: 1) there was insufficient proof to sustain a conviction of possession of the marijuana found in and about the trailer; 2) there was insufficient proof to sustain a conviction for possession of the¡ marijuana found in the automobile which he was driving; and 3) the warrants were issued without probable cause and the items seized were improperly admitted, as fruits of an unlawful search. Because I believe that this case is controlled by Commonwealth v. Tirpak, 441 Pa. 534, 272 A.2d 476 (1971), and later cases following TirpaJc, I find it unnecessary to reach appellant’s search and seizure claims.
In its present posture, the case presents the threshold question of the appealability of an order of the lower court denying arrest of judgment, but granting a new trial. It is well-settled that ordinarily a defendant charged with a crime does not have the right of appeal before
The location of the contraband, which was the subject of this prosecution, is not disputed. Marijuana was found on the floor of the kitchen, in the livingroom in two places, in a milkbox outside the trailer, and in the console of an automobile driven by the appellant. The trailer was. jointly; occupied by the appellant and his roommate, and each had equal access to those parts of the trailer where the contraband was found. In fact, the bulk of the marijuana was found outside the trailer in a place accessible to countless persons other than the appellant. When these items were seized, only appellant’s roommate and his guest were present. No circumstances suggest that appellant was actually in possession of the marijuana.
In Commonwealth v. Schulhoff, supra, all of the co-tenants were actually at home when contraband was seized, but all were in rooms roughly equidistant from the livingroom where the contraband was found. If this Court held such evidence insufficient, it is constrained to find the evidence insufficient where the co-tenant is completely absent when the premises are raided and the contraband is found in the common areas. The Commonwealth introduced no other evidence which would suggest that the marijuana was in the actual or constructive possession of the appellant.
The evidence of possession in respect to the marijuana seized from the car is even weaker. The sheriff’s deputies unequivocally stated that the marijuana was found in a closed console. The car did not belong to the appellant. The car was picked up from its owner just prior to its seizure and search. A search of the console initially
Viewing the evidence adduced at trial in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth, the evidence and its inferences cannot be said to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. I would, therefore, order that the motion in arrest of judgment be granted and order that appellant be discharged.
Cercone and Spaeth, JJ., join in this opinion.
. Uniform Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act, Act of April 14, 1972, P.L. 233, No. 64, §13; as amended October 26, 1972, P.L. 1048, No. 263, §1; 35 P.S. §780-113 (a) (16). Amended subsequent to the arrest, Dee. 30, 1974, P.L. 1041, No. 340, §1.
. ABA Standards, Criminal Appeals, §1.3 (b) states: “In general, a defendant should not be permitted to take an appeal until a final judgment adverse to him has been entered in the trial court.... (ii) A defendant should be permitted to seek appellate review of an order granting a new trial, where the defendant claims that the proper trial court disposition would have been a final judgment in his favor.” Comment d to this section suggests that the proper disposition of such a case by the appellate court should be either to reverse the trial court and discharge the appellant or to quash the appeal. Thus, the comment suggests, the competing interests of judicial economy and expeditious disposition of criminal appeals are jointly served.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Commonwealth v. Chenet, Appellant
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- Published