P. v. Reyes CA5
Natalie Brito Reyes was a passenger in a vehicle detained by law enforcement. The detaining officers ordered Reyes out of the car. She complied and left her purse in the vehicle. The driver was next ordered out. He hesitated, clutched the purse, placed it on the rear floorboard, and then exited.
As it turned out, the purse contained methamphetamine. Reyes initially denied knowing about the drugs but then admitted they were hers. The driver admitted they were his. Reyes was arrested and charged with selling methamphetamine; the driver was not.
At trial, the driver testified he placed the methamphetamine in the purse after the vehicle was stopped by law enforcement. Officers variously testified the drugs were Reyes’s, she intended to sell them, and the driver was not involved in the crime. The jury found Reyes guilty.
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