State v. Merchant

OPINION

CLIFFORD H. AHRENS, Presiding Judge.

Defendant India Merchant appeals from the trial court’s judgment and sentence after a bench trial on a charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. We affirm.

Background

Viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict, the evidence presented at trial was as follows. Around 8:30 p.m. on February 20, 2009, Officer Brandon McKinnon was patrolling an area known to have a high crime rate when he noticed a vehicle with the head- and tail-lights on parked in front of an apartment building. Tinted windows obscured any view into…