United States v. Wyrick

416 F. App'x 786
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedMarch 24, 2011
Docket10-3117
StatusUnpublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 416 F. App'x 786 (United States v. Wyrick) 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. Wyrick, 416 F. App'x 786 (10th Cir. 2011).

Opinion

*787 ORDER AND JUDGMENT *

TERRENCE L. O’BRIEN, Circuit Judge.

Timothy L. Wyrick appeals from the district court’s imposition of a 37-month sentence arising from his guilty plea to five counts of making threatening telephone calls in interstate commerce. He claims his sentence is substantively unreasonable given his “true first offender” status 1 and mental illness. We disagree and affirm.

I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

In 2005, Wyrick began working as a motorist assist technician 2 with the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP). In mid-March 2009, he began a six-month campaign of making more than sixty harassing and threatening telephone calls to KHP Trooper Kristie Gatlin. During some of these calls, he either hung up before the call went to voicemail or let the call go to voicemail but did not leave a message or left an inaudible message. However, in a great number of these calls, he left messages on Gatlin’s voicemail telling her he was watching her and stating facts indicating he knew her whereabouts and activities. Seven of the telephone calls were particularly egregious:

(1) May 26:

Hello, Kristie. I know you have a gold police car. I have fixed the brakes for you. Hello, Kristie. Letting you know I’m still watching you. I know you had contact with the [Kansas Bureau of Investigation].

(R. Vol. 3 at 8.)

(2) June 22:

What are you doing? Yes, I see you moved your cattle. How come you took your flag down? The gun you’re carrying ain’t going to help you off duty. Well, still watching you.

(Id.)

(3) August 7:

Hello, Kristie! I got two things I’m gonna do to ya. I’m gonna flip a coin, see which one I do to ya first. Well I flipped a coin, I betcha you’d like to know how that turned out. Bye! I’m still watchin’ ya!

(Id. at 11.)

(4) August 10 (Gatlin was under surveillance by two troopers when she received the following message):

Hey, Kristie! You oughta tell them two guys in that pick up that they need to do a better job. Heck, that ain’t a very good stake out, you can see ’em. Golly! Hey, I wanna ask ya, you ever been shot by a gun? Been stabbed by a knife? Well, it might happen! I’d watch my *788 back if I was you. I got a lot of guns watchin’ you.

(Id. at 12.)

(5) August 20:

Hey, Kristie! How ya doin’? Well, it’s almost gonna be payment day before too long. From what I can see on your bankin’ account here, ya probably get paid tomorrow. Well, if you don’t mind, I’ll borrow some of your money out. Oh, and uh, tell your mom, see how she likes being a court clerk. See, ain’t her birthday December, uh, 17th? And, yours is, uh, December 1st? Well, I know everybody’s social security numbers and bank account numbers. See you later.

(Id. at 13.)

(6) September 4:

Hey, Trooper Gatlin! You got to leave too early from your traffic stop cause I already had my rifle all set. Had ya in the scope! Well, gonna be some good things happen tonight. Oh, I got your burial site all done, ready for you. Bye. Bye.

(Id. at 15.)

(7) September 9:

Hello, Kristie! How you doin’? Hey, you might want to tell them guys I see every day down here watchin’ ya they’re gonna have to do a better job than that, cause I see ’em. And I’m not afraid to take one of ’em out because they’re nobody to me. You may wanna protect ’em and be cautious of their statements because somethin’ maybe happen to them! Bye, bye now!

(Id. at 16.)

Wyrick was arrested on September 15; one of the telephones used to make some of the telephone calls was found in his boot. In a post-arrest interview, he admitted to making some of the telephone calls.

II. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Wyrick was indicted on five counts of transmitting in interstate commerce a telephone call and voice mail message containing threats to injure the person of another in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 875(c). The counts in the indictment related to the calls made on May 26 (Count 1), June 22 (Count 2), August 7 (Count 3), August 10 (Count 4) and September 4 (Count 5). He was released on bond pending trial. He eventually pled guilty to the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement.

A presentence report (PSR) was prepared. The probation officer determined the base offense level was 12. See USSG § 2A6.1(a). She recommended a two-level enhancement to the base offense level because the offense involved more than two threats. See USSG § 2A6.1(b)(2)(A). She also recommended a four-level enhancement because the offense resulted in a “substantial disruption of public, governmental, or business functions or services.” 3 See USSG § 2A6.1(b)(4)(A). Although Wyrick pled guilty, she did not recommend a downward adjustment for acceptance of responsibility due to his denial of responsibility after he pled guilty. 4 *789 Therefore, she determined the total offense level was 18.

Because Wyriek had no juvenile adjudications, adult criminal convictions, arrests or other criminal conduct, the PSR concluded his Criminal History Category was I. Based on a total offense level of 18 and a Criminal History Category of I, the advisory guideline range was 27 to 33 months imprisonment. The probation officer recommended, however, that the court depart upward from the advisory guideline range under USSG § 5K2.0(a) due to the following aggravating circumstances: (1) the “unusually egregious” nature of Wyriek’s conduct; (2) Wyriek “used his position as a motorfist] assist technician to commit the crime and to evade detection”; and (3) the offenses involved over sixty threatening communications and took place over a period of six months. (R. Vol. 3 at 27-28.)

Wyriek objected to the PSR and filed a sentencing memorandum. He said he was entitled to a downward adjustment for acceptance of responsibility, blaming any difficulty he has had in accepting the wrongfulness of his actions on his diagnosed mental condition of Delusional Disorder, Persecutory and Erotomania Types. 5 He also argued the four-level enhancement under USSG § 2A6.1(b)(4)(A) (substantial disruption) was unwarranted under the facts of the case.

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Bluebook (online)
416 F. App'x 786, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-wyrick-ca10-2011.