Trial Victory: Not Guilty Verdict for Possession of Marijuana and Paraphernalia

After being pulled over for speeding, a law enforcement officer arrested our client after discovering marijuana and paraphernalia in plain sight on the front passenger seat. Despite the State's offer of the minimum sentence available for these charges, Gainesville criminal defense attorney Andy Ingram decided to take the matter to trial. In trial, the prosecutor argued to the jury that posession was clear given the fact that our client owned the vehicle, confessed that the duffel bag containing the drugs and paraphernalia was hers, the duffel bag was in her immediate reach, and there was no one else in the vehicle to whom the drugs could have belonged. One of the State's two witnesses was a court certified expert in Drug Recognition who is very experienced in the courtroom. Nonetheless, the jury returned verdicts of "not guilty" as to both counts.