State of Louisiana v. Michael D. Ellis

hi find the Court of Appeal properly reversed the defendant's conviction and habitual offender sentence for possession of cocajne with intent to distribute, entering a verdict of guilty of simple possession of cocaine, and remanding for resentenc-ing. To convict a defendant for possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, the state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant knowingly or intentionally possessed the contraband, and that he did so with the specific intent to distribute it. La. R.S. 40:967; State v. Williams, 47,574 (La.App. 2 Cir.…