United States v. Shawn D. Rutherford

54 F.3d 370, 1995 WL 253705
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedJune 6, 1995
Docket94-3130
StatusPublished
Cited by140 cases

This text of 54 F.3d 370 (United States v. Shawn D. Rutherford) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh 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. Shawn D. Rutherford, 54 F.3d 370, 1995 WL 253705 (7th Cir. 1995).

Opinions

CUMMINGS, Circuit Judge.

Shawn D. Rutherford pled guilty to bank robbery, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a), and possession of a firearm by a felon, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). The district court found that Rutherford had two previous convictions for crimes of violence, rendering him a career offender under U.S.S.G. § 4B1.1.1 The career offender guideline gave Rutherford an offense level of 29 and a criminal history category of VI, yielding a sentencing range of 151 to 188 months. If Rutherford had not qualified as a career offender, he would have had an offense level of 21 and a criminal history category of V, resulting in a sentencing range of 70 to 87 months. The district court imposed a sentence of 188 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release.

On appeal, Rutherford argues that his 1993 conviction in an Alabama state court for first-degree' assault does not qualify as a crime of violence.2 He was convicted of assault for [372]*372“driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and causing serious bodily injury to the person of another with the motor vehicle.” Presentence Report at 9.3 Rutherford contends that the definition of crime of violence under the career offender guideline does not encompass vehicular assault.

I. Definition of “Crime of Violence” Under the Career Offender Guideline

Section 4B1.2 of the Guidelines defines “crime of violence” for the purposes of the career offender guideline. Under § 4B1.2(1)

“The term ‘crime of violence’ means any offense under federal or state law punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year that—
(i) has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person of another, or
(ii) is burglary of a dwelling, arson, or extortion, involves use of explosives, or otherwise involves conduct that presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to another.”

Application Note 2 to § 4B1.2 requires that we limit our inquiry to “the conduct set forth (i.e., expressly charged) in the count of which the defendant was convicted.” Application Note 2; United States v. Lee, 22 F.3d 736, 738 (7th Cir.1994).4

First-degree assault is a felony in Alabama, Ala.Code § 13A-6-20(b), and Rutherford received a sentence of five years of imprisonment, although he only served nine months. The offense at issue is not an offense enumerated in § 4B1.2(l)(ii) or in Application Note 2.5 Thus, we must determine whether Rutherford’s offense involved the “use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force” under § 4B1.2(1)(i) or whether it presented “a serious potential risk of physical injury” under § 4B1.2(1)(ii).

II. Use of Force Under § 4B1.2(l)(i)

The government does not argue that Rutherford’s offense involved the “use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against ... another.” Still, the argument that Rutherford used force by injuring another person in a drunk driving accident merits discussion. We begin, as we must when interpreting any statute or gmdeline, with the plain language of § 4B1.2(1)(i). United States v. Rosado, 866 F.2d 967, 969 (7th Cir.1989).

Rutherford argues that the word “use” implies an intentional act rather than the mere application or exertion of force. The common understanding of the word “use” supports this view. “Use” is defined as “[t]he act of employing a thing for any (esp. a profitable) purpose.” The Oxford English Dictionary, 2d ed. vol. XIX at 350 (Clarendon Press 1989). Force is exerted in many instances where it is not employed for any particular purpose. For example, earthquakes and avalanches involve the exertion of a tremendous amount of force. Such disasters, however, are freaks of nature; we can identify no intelligence or purpose behind them. Referring to a randomly occurring avalanche as a “use” of force would torture the English language. Likewise, a drunk driving accident is not the result of plan, direction, or purpose but of recklessness at worst and misfortune at best. A drunk driver who injures a pedestrian would not describe the incident by saying he “used” his car to hurt someone. In ordinary English, [373]*373the word “use” implies intentional availment.6 No availment of force in order to achieve an end is present in a drunk driving accident. Thus under a pure plain language approach, one would be hard-pressed to argue that Rutherford’s accident involved the use of force.

Consequently, we are aware of no cases holding that anything less than an intentional act may qualify as a “use” of force under § 4B1.2(l)(i). The sparse authority that exists supports the plain language reading. See United States v. Young, 990 F.2d 469, 471 (9th Cir.1993) (discussing whether possession of firearm in prison is crime of violence under § 4B1.2: “An intent to use the object in a violent manner is not a required element of the offense. Clearly, then, the statutory definition of the crime does not contain as an element the ‘use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force.’”) (citation omitted), cert. denied, — U.S. —, 114 S.Ct. 276, 126 L.Ed.2d 226 (1993); United States v. Parson, 955 F.2d 858, 866 (3rd Cir.1992) (comparing definitions of crime of violence in § 4B1.2 and 18 U.S.C. § 16: “Use of physical force is an intentional act, and therefore ... [§ 4B1.2(1)(i) ] requires specific intent to use force.”).

In addition, the structure of § 4B1.2 supports the view that the “use” of force implies an intentional act. Section 4B1.2(1) divides the definition of crime of violence into two prongs. The first prong discusses intentional acts, while the second prong discusses acts with a mental state of less than intent.

Section 4B1.2(l)(i) (Prong I) classifies crimes involving the “use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force” as crimes of violence. Attempts and threats, the acts grouped with the “use” of force in Prong I, are both intentional acts. Under the common law, an attempt “include[s] a specific intent to commit the unlawful act.” Braxton v. United States, 500 U.S. 344, 351 n. **, 111 S.Ct. 1854, 1859 n. **, 114 L.Ed.2d 385 (1991); see also M. Cherif Bassiouni, Substantive Criminal Law ch. 5 § 2.2.1 at 205 (Charles C. Thomas 1978) (“To be charged with attempt, a person must possess the intent to commit a specific crime”); Wayne R. LaFave and Austin W. Scott, Jr., Substantive Criminal Law

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Bluebook (online)
54 F.3d 370, 1995 WL 253705, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-shawn-d-rutherford-ca7-1995.