United States v. Lewis

922 F. Supp. 1514, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5258, 1996 WL 164728
CourtDistrict Court, D. Kansas
DecidedMarch 15, 1996
DocketNos. 92-40037-01-DES, 96-3012-DES
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 922 F. Supp. 1514 (United States v. Lewis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Lewis, 922 F. Supp. 1514, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5258, 1996 WL 164728 (D. Kan. 1996).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

SAFFELS, Senior District Judge.

This matter is before the court on Christopher Columbus Lewis’s (“Lewis”) motion— filed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2256 — to set aside and vacate his convictions. (Doe. 149). On December 2, 1992, a jury found Lewis guilty of five drug-related counts: (1) possession with intent to distribute cocaine; (2) possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine; (3) conspiracy to possess both of those substances with the intent to distribute them, and two counts of using a firearm during drug trafficking.

In his motion, Lewis argues that his convictions for using a firearm during drug trafficking should be vacated in light of the United States Supreme Court’s ruling in Bailey v. United States, — U.S.-, 116 S.Ct. 501, 133 L.Ed.2d 472 (1995). In Bailey, the Court clarified the meaning of “use” of a firearm under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1).

Lewis also argues that his rights of due process have been violated because there was no probable cause to stop the car in which he was a passenger, that an illegal search followed the stop, that there was an upward departure from the sentencing guidelines and that possession of a firearm is not sufficient to enhance his sentence.

Finally, Lewis argues that he is the victim of selective prosecution and as such, the rule of lenity applies.

I. BACKGROUND

On July 20,1992, Lewis was a passenger in a ear driven by Donald K. Davis (“Davis”) in Ellsworth County, Kansas, that was stopped by a state trooper for speeding 73 miles per hour in a posted 65 miles per hour speed zone on 1-70. While approaching the driver’s side of the vehicle, the trooper noticed Lewis reaching for something in the open glove box. As Lewis saw the trooper approach, Lewis quickly removed his hand from the glove box and closed it.

As the trooper asked Lewis and Davis about their destination, the trooper smelled alcohol from inside the car. The trooper asked Lewis if he had been drinking and Lewis told the trooper that he had had a beer. Lewis then handed the trooper an open beer can that had been laying on the back floorboard of the car. Lewis was asked to exit the car so that the trooper could search for additional open containers in the car. The trooper asked both Davis and Lewis if there were any weapons in the ear. Davis told the trooper that there was a gun in the glove box. Upon opening the glove box, the trooper found a loaded .25 caliber pistol. The trooper ran a check on the gun to determine if it was stolen and then returned it to the car. Throughout this interaction with the trooper, both Davis and Lewis appeared very nervous.

After issuing a written warning for speeding to Davis, the trooper asked Davis and received consent to search the trunk area of the ear. Davis opened the trunk of the car and the trooper found a brown paper sack underneath the carpeting of the right rear wheel well. Inside the sack was a tightly wrapped block which the trooper recognized as being typical of packaging for illegal drugs. Both Davis and Lewis were immediately placed under arrest. The trooper then cut the wrapped block open and a white powder substance — later tested positive as cocaine — was inside.

The car was towed to the sheriffs security garage and the next day an inventory search was conducted of the contents of the car. In the trunk of the car was some luggage and a black gym bag which contained a shoe box with ten baggies of crack cocaine inside. Also found in the trunk was a briefcase— belonging to Lewis — containing a loaded .22 caliber revolver.

[1517]*1517 II. DISCUSSION

A. BAILEY: USE OF A WEAPON

On December 6, 1995, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Bailey v. United States, — U.S. -, 116 S.Ct. 501, 133 L.Ed.2d 472 (1995), in which it clarified the meaning of use of a firearm under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1). (This court recently addressed the Bailey “use of a gun” issue in United States v. Fletcher, 919 F.Supp. 384 (D.Kan.1996)).

Prior to Bailey, the Tenth Circuit held that to establish use of a gun in relation to a drug trafficking crime, the government must show (1) that the defendant had “ready access” to the firearm, and (2) that the firearm was an “integral part” of the criminal undertaking and increased the likelihood that the undertaking would succeed. United States v. McKinnell, 888 F.2d 669, 675 (10th Cir.1989).

The standard enunciated in Bailey narrows the definition of “use” of a firearm. Under Bailey, the government must prove “an active employment of the firearm by the defendant, a use that makes the firearm an operative factor in relation to the predicate offense.” Bailey, — U.S. at -, 116 S.Ct. at 505. “Use” connotes “more than mere possession of a firearm by a person who commits a drug offense.” Id. at -, 116 S.Ct. at 506. If the offender does not disclose or mention the gun, it is not used; placement for later active use does not in and of itself constitute “use.” Id. at -, 116 S.Ct. at 509-10. Active employment includes “reference to a firearm calculated to bring about a change in the circumstances of the predicate offense,” as well as brandishing or displaying a gun. Id. at -, 116 S.Ct. at 508. A defendant cannot be charged, however, for merely storing a weapon near drugs or drug proceeds. Id.

In Bailey, drugs were discovered in the front console of the car and a gun was found in the car trunk. The Supreme Court held that Bailey’s possession of the gun in the trunk of his car did not constitute “use” for purposes of a drug trafficking crime under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1). Id. at -, 116 S.Ct. at 509.

In the instant case, Lewis was convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(1) due to the gun being found in the trunk of the car in which he was a passenger. Lewis was sentenced to five years for that conviction. Given the decision in Bailey, the United States should address why that conviction should not be vacated.

Lewis also received a five year sentence due to the gun found in the glove compartment of the car. The evidence reflects that Lewis handled papers in the glove compartment as the trooper was approaching the car. Whether Lewis’s actions and the gun’s location in the glove compartment constitute “use” under a Bailey analysis should also be addressed by the United States.

B. RIGHT OF DUE PROCESS

In his motion, Lewis asserts that there was no probable cause to stop the automobile in which he was a passenger and that the resulting search and seizure were unconstitutional because his rights of due process were violated. These claims are improperly asserted and without merit.

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Related

United States v. Lewis
922 F. Supp. 1519 (D. Kansas, 1996)

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Bluebook (online)
922 F. Supp. 1514, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5258, 1996 WL 164728, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-lewis-ksd-1996.