State v. Knight

747 A.2d 13, 56 Conn. App. 845, 2000 Conn. App. LEXIS 103
Connecticut Appellate Court·Decided March 14, 2000·No. AC 18561·Published·Cited by 17 cases

Opinion

Opinion

MIHALAKOS, J.

The defendant, Anthony Knight, appeals from the judgment of conviction, rendered after a jury trial, of possession of a narcotic substance1 in violation of General Statutes § 21a-279 (a), possession of a narcotic substance within 1500 feet of a school in violation of General Statutes § 21a-279 (d), possession of a narcotic substance with intent to sell as a lesser included offense in violation of General Statutes § 21a-277 (a), possession of a narcotic substance with intent to sell within 1500 feet of a school in violation of General Statutes § 21a-278a (b), possession of a controlled substance2 in violation of General Statutes § 21a-279 (c), possession of a controlled substance within 1500 feet of a school in violation of General Statutes § 21a-279 (d), possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell in violation of General Statutes § 2 la-277 (b) and possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell within 1500 feet of a school in violation of General Statutes § 21a-278a (b).

On appeal, the defendant claims that (1) the trial court improperly failed to instruct the jury, for purposes of the counts alleging violations of § 21a-278a (b), that the defendant had to have the intent to sell controlled substances within 1500 feet of a school, (2) there was [848] insufficient evidence for the jury to find beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant intended to sell marijuana within 1500 feet of a school, and (3) the trial court improperly imposed two consecutive mandatory three year sentences for the defendant’s course of conduct in violating § 21a-278a (b), merely because such conduct involved two kinds of controlled substances. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

The jury could have reasonably found the following facts. On August 16, 1996, Detective Anthony Martinez of the vice and narcotic division of the Hartford police department received an anonymous telephone call reporting a sale of crack cocaine at apartment 203 on 57 Sumner Street in Hartford. This is an area well known for drug dealing. Martinez, together with three other plainclothes detectives, went to the premises and knocked on the door. The defendant answered and asked Martinez what he wanted. Martinez told the defendant that he wanted “ten.”3 The defendant removed two bags from his pocket, one containing a green, plant-like substance and the other a white, rock-like substance. Martinez gave the defendant $10 and purchased the bag containing the white, rock-like substance. Immediately after the purchase, Martinez identified himself as a police officer, whereupon the defendant ran back into the apartment. Martinez pursued the defendant into the apartment and a struggle ensued. The defendant was apprehended and handcuffed. Martinez removed the following items from the defendant’s pockets: one large bag containing fifty-two smaller bags of a green, plant-like substance,4 another large bag containing sixteen smaller bags of a white, [849] rock-like substance,5 the $10 paid by Martinez and an additional $169. Martinez observed the defendant remove a handgun from the waistband of his pants. The pistol was later recovered from the living room floor.

During the trial, the parties stipulated that apartment 203 at 57 Sumner Street was within 1500 feet of a school and that the defendant did not have a permit for a handgun.

I

The defendant’s first claim6 is that the trial court failed to instruct the jury that to be convicted under § 21a-278a (b) he had to have had the intent to sell the controlled substance within 1500 feet of a school. We disagree.

Despite having failed to preserve this claim for review, the defendant seeks review pursuant to State v. Golding, 213 Conn. 233, 239-40, 567 A.2d 823 (1989).7 This court has held that only under the most exceptional circumstances will it consider a claim, constitutional or otherwise, that has not been raised and decided by the trial court. State v. Washburn, 34 Conn. App. 557, 567, 642 A.2d 70, cert. denied, 230 Conn. 912, 645 A.2d 1017 (1994). However, “[i]t is . . . constitutionally axiomatic that the jury be instructed on the essential elements of a crime charged.” State v. Williamson, 206 [850] Conn. 685, 708, 539 A.2d 561 (1988). “Consequently, the failure to instruct a jury on an element of a crime deprives a defendant of the right to have the jury told what crimes he is actually being tried for and what the essential elements of those crimes are.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) State v. Denby, 235 Conn. 477, 484, 668 A.2d 682 (1995). We agree with the defendant that “the jury instruction is subject to Golding review because the defendant raises a constitutional claim involving a fundamental right, and the record is adequate for review.” Id., 483. We conclude, however, that the defendant’s claim fails the third prong of Golding because the alleged constitutional violation does not clearly exist and did not clearly deprive the defendant of a fair trial.

Our Supreme Court has held that the intent to sell within 1500 feet of a school is an element of the crime. Id., 481. “[T]he plain language of § 21a-278a (b) requires as an element of the offense an intent to sell or dispense the narcotics at a location that is within 1000 feet of a school. The state is not, however, required to prove that the defendant knew that this location was within the zone.”8 Id., 482. While the defendant’s knowledge as to his location is not an element of the offense, the state is required to prove that the defendant intended to sell or dispense those drugs in his possession in the location, which happens to be within 1500 feet of a school. Id. Thus, intent is an element required under § 21a-278a (b). The jury was specifically instructed9 by [851] the trial court as to the elements of the offense, which included intent. The court’s instruction that intent was a question of fact, and that the jury could draw reasonable and logical inferences from the evidence was proper and cannot be disturbed.

II

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State v. Knight, 747 A.2d 13, 56 Conn. App. 845, 2000 Conn. App. LEXIS 103 (Colo. Ct. App. 2000).

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