State of Arizona, Appellee v. Darrel Scott Francis, Appellant.

Summary

The court held that, under the prison-contraband statute, the State had to prove only that Francis knowingly possessed the cellphone, not that he knew the cellphone was legally classified as contraband. Reading the relevant statutes together, the court concluded that knowledge of the item's unlawful status is not an element and that ignorance of the law is not a defense. The court vacated the court of appeals' opinion and remanded for consideration of Francis's unresolved evidentiary claim.