Opinion

Kelly v. State

  • 483 P.2d 737
  • 1971 OK CR 137
Court
Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
Filed
Mar 24, 1971
Status
Published
Author
Bussey
On the bench
Bussey, Nix, Brett
Cited by
0 cases
Authority
More cited than 22.5%

The opinion

BUSSEY, Presiding Judge:

Lawrence R. Kelly, hereinafter referred to as “defendant,” was charged, tried and convicted in the District Court of Kay County of the offense of Possession of Marihuana; his punishment was fixed at five years imprisonment and a $5,000 fine and from said judgment and sentence a timely appeal has been perfected to this Court.

The Attorney General has filed a Response Brief herein confessing error in that the trial court refused to instruct the jury that the defendant must “knowingly” have possession of the contraband. This Court is of the opinion that this proposition is well taken. We have previously held that knowledge of the presence of marihuana is a necessary element of the offense of possession of marihuana. Brown v. State, Okl.Cr., 481 P.2d 475 .

The defendant further contends that the trial court erred in refusing to admit evidence showing that other parties in the Ponca City area had received packages of marihuana from unknown parties at about the same date. We are of the opinion that if such incidents were not remote in point of time that evidence of such should be admitted to support the defendant’s theory of defense.

It is therefore the order of this Court that this cause be reversed and remanded to the District Court of Kay County for a new trial.

NIX and BRETT, JJ., concur.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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