State v. Buford

Ronald Lewis Buford was convicted of possession of cocaine based on a small amount of cocaine residue found in a crack pipe that the police seized from him. He appeals, contending that the trial court erred in refusing to submit an unwitting possession instruction to the jury. We hold that the trial court did not err because the evidence presented at trial was not sufficient to permit a reasonable juror to find, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Buford unwittingly possessed the cocaine found in the crack pipe. Accordingly, we affirm his conviction.

FACTS

The State charged Buford with…