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Coker v. State

Court of Appeals of Alabama
Jun 30, 1932
143 So. 206 (Ala. Crim. App. 1932)

Opinion

7 Div. 905.

June 30, 1932.

Appeal from De Kalb County Court; L. L. Crawford, Judge.

Walker Coker was convicted of violating the prohibition law, and he appeals.

Reversed and remanded.

See, also, 24 Ala. App. 248, 133 So. 748.

Thos. W. Millican, of Ft. Payne, for appellant.

The mere finding of prohibited liquors on defendant's premises, without evidence to connect him with it, is insufficient for a conviction of unlawful possession of liquor. Perkins v. State, 24 Ala. App. 231, 133 So. 307; Hubbard v. State, 23 Ala. App. 537, 128 So. 587; Eldridge v. State, 24 Ala. App. 395, 135 So. 646; Burroughs v. State, 24 Ala. App. 579, 139 So. 115; Tuggle v. State, 22 Ala. App. 89, 112 So. 540; Cope v. State, 24 Ala. App. 134, 131 So. 4.

Thos. E. Knight, Jr., Atty. Gen., for the State.

Brief did not reach the Reporter.


The only evidence for the state was that of the sheriff and his deputy, who testified that, armed with a search warrant they went to defendant's place and found one pint of whisky under the back steps to his store and eleven pints in the furnace of a barbecue pit in the rear of the storehouse.

There was no evidence as to the ownership of the whisky, and nothing to prove that defendant knew of its presence. The cause was tried by the court, without a jury. As has many times been pointed out, a constructive possession alone is not sufficient to justify a conviction. Burroughs v. State, 24 Ala. App. 579, 139 So. 115; Eldridge v. State, 24 Ala. App. 395, 135 So. 646.

The trial court erred in rendering judgment of conviction.

The judgment is reversed, and the cause is remanded.

Reversed and remanded.


Summaries of

Coker v. State

Court of Appeals of Alabama
Jun 30, 1932
143 So. 206 (Ala. Crim. App. 1932)
Case details for

Coker v. State

Case Details

Full title:COKER v. STATE

Court:Court of Appeals of Alabama

Date published: Jun 30, 1932

Citations

143 So. 206 (Ala. Crim. App. 1932)
143 So. 206

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