United States v. Waldon

CourtCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
DecidedFebruary 17, 2000
Docket98-5609
StatusPublished

This text of United States v. Waldon (United States v. Waldon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Sixth 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. Waldon, (6th Cir. 2000).

Opinion

RECOMMENDED FOR FULL-TEXT PUBLICATION Pursuant to Sixth Circuit Rule 206 ELECTRONIC CITATION: 2000 FED App. 0059P (6th Cir.) File Name: 00a0059p.06

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT _________________

;  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,  Plaintiff-Appellee,   No. 98-5609 v.  > JESSIE LEE WALDON,  Defendant-Appellant.  1

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky at Louisville. No. 97-00064—John G. Heyburn II, District Judge. Argued: December 10, 1999 Decided and Filed: February 17, 2000 Before: BATCHELDER and MOORE, Circuit Judges; O’MALLEY, District Judge.* _________________ COUNSEL ARGUED: Frank P. Campisano, JARRETT & CAMPISANO, Louisville, Kentucky, for Appellant. John L.

* The Honorable Kathleen O’Malley, United States District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio, sitting by designation.

1 2 United States v. Waldon No. 98-5609 No. 98-5609 United States v. Waldon 19

Caudill, ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, CONCLUSION Louisville, Kentucky, for Appellee. ON BRIEF: Frank P. Campisano, JARRETT & CAMPISANO, Louisville, The district court properly denied Waldon’s motion to Kentucky, for Appellant. John L. Caudill, Terry M. Cushing, suppress, his motion to instruct the jury on the lesser offense ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEYS, Louisville, of bank larceny, and his motion for mistrial. In addition, Kentucky, for Appellee. Jessie Lee Waldron, Beaver, West when the district court sentenced Waldon, it properly added Virginia, pro se. two points for obstruction of justice and three points pursuant to §4A1.1(f). Accordingly, Waldon’s conviction and sentence _________________ are both AFFIRMED. OPINION IT IS SO ORDERED. _________________ O’MALLEY, District Judge. Jessie Lee Waldon appeals his conviction and sentence for bank robbery in violation of 18 U.S.C. §2113(a). On appeal, Waldon raises five issues. First, Waldon challenges the district court’s denial of his motion to suppress evidence. Second, Waldon challenges the district court’s failure to instruct the jury that, as an alternative to convicting him of bank robbery, it could convict him of the lesser included offense of bank larceny. Third, Waldon asserts the district court should have granted his motion for a mistrial, after two jurors observed him in handcuffs and shackles as he was being transported from the courthouse. Fourth, Waldon argues the district court erred when it enhanced his sentence for obstruction of justice, pursuant to U.S.S.G. §3C1.1. And fifth, Waldon asserts the district court erred when it added an additional 1three criminal history points pursuant to U.S.S.G. §4A1.1(f). Because we

1 The first four grounds for appeal listed above were raised by Waldon’s appellate counsel. Waldon then filed a motion pro se seeking leave to add additional grounds for appeal. In this motion, Waldon suggested that his additional grounds included, inter alia: (1) the district court’s failure to exclude certain expert trial testimony; (2) defense counsel’s ineffective assistance for failing to (a) include evidence of police radio transmissions in connection with the motion to suppress, and (b) allow Waldon to assist in his own defense; and (3) other of the district court’s evidentiary rulings. This Court granted Waldon leave to file a supplemental brief. In his supplemental brief, however, the only additional issue Waldon raised is whether the district court erred during 18 United States v. Waldon No. 98-5609 No. 98-5609 United States v. Waldon 3

interpreted §3C1.1 properly and did not err when it enhanced find none of Waldon’s assertions of error are well-taken, we Waldon’s sentence for obstruction of justice. AFFIRM both the conviction and the sentence in this case. E. Multiple Related Offenses Under U.S.S.G. §4A1.1(f). JURISDICTION Finally, Waldon filed a pro se supplemental brief in which The district court had subject matter jurisdiction over this he argues the district court erred when it added an additional case pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §3231, and this Court has three criminal history points, pursuant to U.S.S.G. §4A1.1(f), jurisdiction over Waldon’s timely appeal pursuant to 28 based on his conviction for five counts of bank robbery in U.S.C. §1291 and 18 U.S.C. §3742(a). August of 1989. Sentencing Guideline §4A1.1(f) states that a district court should: FACTUAL BACKGROUND Add 1 point for each prior sentence resulting from a On July 18, 1997, at 10:21 a.m., a man wearing a black ski conviction of a crime of violence that did not receive any mask entered the Fifth Third Bank in Louisville, Kentucky, points under (a), (b), or (c) above because such sentence and ordered the bank’s employees and customers to get down was considered related to another sentence resulting from on the floor. The man told several bank tellers to open their a conviction of a crime of violence, up to a total of 3 cash drawers, from which he took approximately $5,405. The points for this item. Provided, that this item does not man made no comments regarding a weapon, nor did he apply where the sentences are considered related because display a weapon during the robbery. As the man left the the offenses occurred on the same occasion. bank, a dye pack that had been disguised as a roll of twenty- dollar bills exploded, covering the money with red dye. U.S.S.G. §4A1.1(f) (emphasis in original). Based on descriptions that were given by several bank In this case, Waldon’s criminal history includes five employees, the police identified the suspect as being an robbery convictions for offenses that he committed on African-American male of slender or medium build, between separate occasions, but which were consolidated for 5'7" and 6'0" tall, and weighing between 140-150 pounds. He sentencing and treated as related. Because Waldon received was wearing a blue baseball cap, gloves, a nylon jacket, blue a fifty-five month sentence of imprisonment for each of these jeans, and tennis shoes. The police also knew – thanks to the five robberies (which Waldon served concurrently), the work of a loyal bank customer who followed the robber as he district court properly added a total of three points for the left the crime scene – that the suspect was driving a green prior sentence, pursuant to §4A1.1(a). See U.S.S.G. Ford Mustang that was last seen traveling on LaGrange Road. §4A1.1(a) (“[a]dd 3 points for each prior sentence of imprisonment exceeding one year and one month”). After hearing a police radio dispatch about the bank Furthermore, the district court properly added an additional robbery, George Stewart, a Jefferson County police officer three points pursuant to §4A1.1(f), because four of these five who was patrolling in the area, began driving down LaGrange sentences did not result in any additional points under Road looking for the green Mustang. Officer Stewart also §4A1.1(a). See U.S.S.G. §4A1.1(f), applic. note 6 (providing an example that is virtually identical to this case). Thus, the district court did not err when it added an additional three sentencing when it applied Sentencing Guideline 4A1.1(f). The Court criminal history points when sentencing Waldon, pursuant to does not address the other issues listed in Waldon’s pro se motion §4A1.1(f). because he did not discuss them in his supplemental brief. 4 United States v. Waldon No. 98-5609 No. 98-5609 United States v. Waldon 17

learned from the dispatch that the suspect had discarded his to the time of the crime and arrest, as opposed to during the nylon jacket, and that the red dye pack had exploded. As he criminal investigation afterwards.

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