People v. James

The defendant, Orlando M. James, was charged with unlawful possession of cocaine with intent to deliver (720 ILCS 570/401(a)(2)(B) (West 2002)) and unlawful possession of cocaine (720 ILCS 570/ 402(a)(2)(B) (West 2002)). The trial court denied his motion to suppress the evidence. In a bench trial, the court found the defendant guilty on both counts. The court ruled that the latter count merged into the former and sentenced him, inter alia, to 17 years of imprisonment and to pay a $3,000 drug assessment fee. On appeal, the defendant argued that: (1) the trial court erred by denying his motion…