P’s strict liability drug possession statute, RCW 69.50.4013, makes possession of a controlled substance a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Police executed a search warrant seeking evidence of stolen vehicles. Three people were arrested on the property, including D. At the jail, a corrections officer discovered a small baggie containing methamphetamine in the coin pocket of D’s jeans. D was charged with a violation of RCW 69.50.4013. D claimed “unwitting possession.” A friend had bought the jeans secondhand and given them to D two days before ds arrest. D she had never used methamphetamine and did not know the jeans had drugs in the pocket. D’s boyfriend also testified that D did not use drugs and that she had received the jeans from a friend. D was found guilty. On appeal, D argued that requiring her to prove unwitting possession violates due process. The court held that the crime was a strict liability crime that required proof of no mens rea and there was no violation of due process in requiring D to prove unwitting possession. D appealed.

This section contains the nature of the case and procedural background.

The legal issues presented in this case will be displayed here.

The court's holding and decision will be displayed here.

Legal analysis from Dean's Law Dictionary will be displayed here.