close proximity to the drugs. The

black bag found in the rear of the van contained a firearm and scales with methamphetamine residue.

The blue bag, also found in the rear of the van, contained 774.1 grams of methamphetamine. A

package, found under the right rear quarter panel of the van, contained 156.7 grams of marijuana.

From this evidence of proximity of the firearm and drugs, the jury could have found that the firearm

was readily accessible and that Mr. Hicks availed himself of the firearm. As a consequence, there

was sufficient evidence Mr. Hicks intended the weapon to be available, that he availed himself of

the firearm, and that the firearm had an integral role in a drug trafficking offense.



       Our analysis indicates there is sufficient evidence for2313) because there was not sufficient evidence to support the jury's

finding he knew the van was stolen. We disagree. At trial, an employee of Mike Wallace Ford in

Oxnard, California, testified that his dealership had purchased the van as a trade-in, that on

December 6, 1993, the dealership began repairing the van to prepare it for resale, and when he

arrived at the dealership on December 7, 1993, he discovered the van had been stolen. Trooper

Kennedy stopped Mr. Hicks in Kansas approximately three months later, on March 8, 1994. At that

time, Mr. Hicks admitted he began his trip in Oxnard, California, and had bought the van there. He

produced no written proof of registration, nor did he present oral testimony to explain how he

obtained the van. Taken together, this evidence supports an