State v. Harris

In State v. Harris, 281 N.C. 542, 189 S.E.2d 249 (1972), the defendant contended that he could not be convicted of armed robbery because he had placed his pistol on the top of the car while he took the victim's pocketbook from the back seat and removed money from it. He argued there was no evidence that he had the pistol in his possession at the time he took the property. The North Carolina Supreme Court found no merit in his contention; the weapon was "easily within his reach" at the time he took the money. Id. at 547, 189 S.E.2d at 252.