United States v. Garcia

690 F. App'x 575
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedMay 25, 2017
Docket16-1011
StatusUnpublished

This text of 690 F. App'x 575 (United States v. Garcia) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Garcia, 690 F. App'x 575 (10th Cir. 2017).

Opinion

ORDER AND JUDGMENT *

Mary Beck Briscoe, Circuit Judge

After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist in the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is, therefore, submitted without oral argument.

Defendant Eric Garcia appeals from the sex offender special conditions of supervised release that were imposed by the district court following its revocation of Garcia’s prior term of supervised release. Exercising jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291, we affirm the district court’s imposition of those conditions.

I

On December 17, 2004, Garcia pleaded guilty in Texas state court to attempted sexual assault of a child, a third degree felony under Texas state law. That crime arose out of Garcia’s sexual misconduct with his then fourteen-year-old stepdaughter. Specifically, Garcia first “got into bed with” his stepdaughter, prompting her to “le[ave] the bedroom and ... go to a different location.” ROA, Vol. 3 at 214. Garcia “followed [his stepdaughter] to this new location.” Id. There, she fell asleep but later “awoke to find him, penis in hand, rubbing it on her lips.” Id. Garcia was sentenced in connection with this crime to a ten year term of imprisonment “with 180 days shock probation.” Supp. ROA, Vol. 1 at 13.

On June 17, 2005, Garcia was released from state custody and ordered to serve nine years and six months of probation. Shortly after his release from custody, Garcia registered as a sex offender in accordance with Texas state law and acknowledged in writing the requirements for complying with Texas state law regarding sex offender registration. At the time of his initial registration, Garcia indicated that he was living at a residence in Austin, Texas.

While on probation, Garcia “participated in offense-specific treatment in Texas.” ROA, Vol. 2 at 44. The precise nature and extent of that treatment is unclear from the record.

On January 3, 2008, Texas state officials moved to revoke Garcia’s probation “due to [his] failure to pay court ordered fees, *578 and for committing a subsequent offense [ (theft) ].” Supp. ROA, Vol. 1 at 20. On March 21, 2008, Garcia’s probation was revoked and he was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for the combination of the probation violation and the new offense of theft. Garcia served that time and was released from custody on March 9, 2011.

In May 2011, Garcia updated his address with the Austin Police Department. Approximately three months later, on September 1, 2011, an officer with the Austin Police Department’s Sex Offender Apprehension and Registration Unit conducted a compliance check to verify Garcia’s last-registered address. Garcia “was not at the residence and the officer obtained a written statement from the resident that Garcia no longer lived [there].” Id. at 14. This resulted in Garcia being indicted in Texas state court for failure to comply with registration requirements. That indictment remains pending.

Over a year later, on October 6, 2012, Garcia was arrested in Thornton, Colorado, and charged in Colorado state court with failure to register as a sex offender. After being released on bond, Garcia “was issued a five day notice to register.” Id. Garcia “registered as a sex offender in Colorado on October 15, 2012.” Id.

On November 20, 2012, a federal grand jury in the Western District of Texas indicted Garcia on one count of failure to register as a sex offender, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2250(a). Garcia was arrested on that charge on November 29, 2012. On February 19, 2013, Garcia entered a plea of guilty, without benefit of a plea agreement, to the single count alleged in the indictment. He was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of twelve months, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Special conditions of supervised release were imposed, including Garcia’s “participation] in and successful] completion] [of] an approved program of sex offender evaluation and treatment,” ROA, Vol. 2 at 10, limitations on Garcia’s “use of computer and Internet access devices,” id. at 11, installation of “software/hardware designed to monitor [his] computer activities,” id., and a prohibition on Garcia “associating] with any child or children under the age of 18 except in the presence and supervision of an adult specifically designated in writing by the probation officer.” Id.

Garcia completed his term of imprisonment and began his term of supervised release in November 2013. 1 Garcia moved in and began residing with an aunt, uncle, and cousin in Denver. On December 19, 2013, Garcia “signed treatment contracts at RSA, Inc. (RSA), the Probation Office’s contract treatment agency, for offense-specific treatment.” Id. at 15.

In July 2014, Garcia “began living in an unapproved residence” in Denver. Id. “A modification for residential reentry center (RRC) placement was requested due to this violation and [Garcia] resided in a motel ... from July 21, 2014, until bed space was available at the RRC.” Id. “On August 28, 2014, [Garcia] began a 180 day RRC placement” in Denver. Id. The RRC was separate and distinct from RSA; the RRC was where Garcia resided, whereas RSA was his sex offender treatment provider.

On December 19, 2014, a supervised release violation warrant was issued charging Garcia with failure to participate in sex offender treatment as directed by his probation officer. 2 The warrant alleged that *579 Garcia had engaged in “[a]n ongoing pattern of manipulation and secret keeping, going to unapproved locations in the community, going to locations knowing minors were present and lacking progress in treatment.” ROA, Vol. 2 at 15. It also alleged that Garcia “failed to answer truthfully to inquiries asked by [his probation] officer,” and “instead provided [the] officer with misinformation.” Id. In addition, it alleged that Garcia has been “recently assessed using a sexual dynamic risk indicator assessment,” “scored high risk,” and was believed by RSA to “belong[] to a group of men whose long term risk for sexual re-offending [wa]s high.” Id.

Garcia appeared before a magistrate judge on December 23, 2014. Garcia’s probation officer testified that, in his opinion, Garcia was not “amenable to any conditions of ... release.” ROA, Vol. 3 at 22. He explained: “At this time, we have an untreated sex offender that is unable to be honest and that engages in secret-keeping behavior, which, unfortunately, causes me to have an inability to deconstruct the secret lifestyle, which poses a risk to the community.” Id. at 22-23. He also testified that the RRC was unwilling to take Garcia back, and that Garcia was not eligible at that time for treatment with RSA and it was RSA’s recommendation “that he should be placed in a secured setting.” Id at 23.

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Bluebook (online)
690 F. App'x 575, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-garcia-ca10-2017.