United States v. Sharbutt

120 F. App'x 244
Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit·Decided January 5, 2005·No. 03-5169·Unpublished·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

ORDER AND JUDGMENT *

BRORBY, Circuit Judge.

After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R.App. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. R. 34.1.9(G). The case is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.

Appellant Jimmy Lee Sharbutt, a federal prisoner represented by counsel, appeals his conviction and sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(e). We exercise jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291, and affirm Mr. Sharbutt’s conviction and sentence.

*246 I. Background

On December 21, 2001, police obtained and executed a search warrant for Mr. Sharbutt’s residence located in Miami, Oklahoma. During the search, officers seized a 9mm semiautomatic handgun with a shoulder holster, drug paraphernalia, drug scales, marijuana, methamphetamine, and other items.

A two-count superceding indictment charged Mr. Sharbutt with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Mr. Sharbutt filed a motion to sever the two counts, a motion to suppress the evidence obtained with the search warrant, and a motion to exclude evidence of his prior possession of weapons or involvement in drug transactions pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b). The district court held a suppression hearing, after which it denied the motions to suppress and to preclude all evidence related to his prior acts, except for one witness, and granted the motion to sever. During the felon in possession trial, the district court also denied Mr. Sharbutt’s motion to introduce a BB gun as demonstrative evidence. Thereafter, a jury found Mr. Sharbutt guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. After applying an enhancement under United States Sentencing Guideline (U.S.S.G.) § 4B1.4(4) for possessing the firearm in connection with drug distribution, the district court sentenced him to 262 months imprisonment and five years supervised release.

II. Issues on Appeal

On appeal, Mr. Sharbutt contends the district court erred by denying his: 1) motion to suppress evidence obtained from the search warrant because the affidavit supporting it a) contained insufficient information to establish probable cause, and b) omitted material facts affecting the decision to authorize it; 2) motion to preclude evidence of his prior possession of firearms, and sale and use of drugs because of the undue prejudice created; 3) motion to preclude testimony of a prosecution witness for lack of notice; and 4) motion to introduce a BB gun as demonstrative evidence because counsel did not know the BB gun was almost identical to the firearm found in his house until the day before the motion was made.

In response, the government contends the district court appropriately denied these motions, and seeks affirmance of Mr. Sharbutt’s conviction. Thereafter, Mr. Sharbutt filed a supplemental brief, raising a sentencing issue which challenges the constitutionality of the enhancement of his sentence based on the district court’s finding he used or possessed the firearm in connection with a controlled substance offense or a crime of violence. In so doing, he relies on the Supreme Court’s decision in Blakely v. Washington, — U.S. -, 124 S.Ct. 2531, 159 L.Ed.2d 403 (2004), claiming the enhancement must be found beyond a reasonable doubt by a jury. The government opposes his request for remand of his sentence, based on its contention Blakely does not invalidate the United States Sentencing Guidelines.

III. Discussion

A. Affidavit Supporting Search Warrant

Detective Danny Green executed a three-page affidavit supporting the search warrant at issue in this case, in which he recounted his experience and training in narcotics investigations, and relayed recent information about Mr. Sharbutt obtained from Dana Witcraft during her December 2001 arrest'on a felony warrant. After Ms. Witcraft gave officers permission to search her residence, they discovered several baggies containing metham *247 phetamine. Ms. Witcraft stated she bought methamphetamine from Mr. Sharbutt at his house in the Eastgate addition of Miami, Oklahoma, every week since August 2001. When purchasing the drug, she told Mr. Sharbutt what she wanted, which was usually an “eight-ball” Qk ounce) of methamphetamine, and he sometimes weighed the drug in front of her. She also stated she saw several ounces of methamphetamine in his house on different occasions, and last purchased methamphetamine from him at his house two days earlier, on December 19, 2001.

In the affidavit, Detective Green further explained that, based on his training and experience in narcotics investigations, traffickers of illegal substances often accumulate large amounts of cash and valuables kept in safes; keep drug paraphernalia to weigh and package drugs for distribution; maintain documentation on drug sales; and utilize firearms and other dangerous weapons for the purpose of securing and guarding their cash and drugs. Detective Green concluded his affidavit by stating that based on his investigation and experience, it was his opinion that these items were presently being concealed at Mr. Sharbutt’s residence for criminal purposes. In addition to Ms. Witcraft’s description of Mr. Sharbutt’s home being in the Eastgate addition of Miami, Detective Green provided Mr. Sharbutt’s street address, together with a description of the exterior of his house. Based on the foregoing information, the magistrate judge issued the search warrant, leading to the arrest of Mr. Sharbutt and discovery of incriminating evidence in his home.

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United States v. Sharbutt, 120 F. App'x 244 (10th Cir. 2005).

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