U.S. v. Jones

CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedJune 1, 1993
Docket92-5104
StatusPublished

This text of U.S. v. Jones (U.S. v. Jones) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
U.S. v. Jones, (5th Cir. 1993).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

_______________

No. 92-5104 _______________

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

VERSUS

MARK ANTHONY JONES,

Defendant-Appellant.

No. 92-5117 _______________

IRA DWAYNE DRAYTON,

_________________________

Appeals from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas _________________________

May 28, 1993

Before WISDOM, DAVIS, and SMITH, Circuit Judges.

JERRY E. SMITH, Circuit Judge:

Defendants Mark Jones and Ira Drayton and a third person

drove to a bank and attempted to force open its locked doors.

Drayton carried a gun at the time. Shortly thereafter, the three were arrested. Drayton pleaded guilty to violating 18 U.S.C.

§ 2113(a). Jones elected to stand trial and was convicted of one

count of violating section 2113(a) and one count of violating

18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1). Jones contends that his indictment did not

charge him with a crime under section 2113(a) and that the jury

instructions impermissibly allowed the jury to convict him of the

second count. We affirm both Jones's and Drayton's convictions

under section 2113(a) but reverse Jones's conviction under section

924(c)(1).

I.

On January 28, 1992, Jones, Drayton, and Derek Hulett drove

to the Bank of East Texas in Chester, Texas. Drayton testified

that while driving to Chester, the three stopped at a store in

Livingston, Texas, where Drayton purchased ammunition for a gun he

was carrying. They drove the car into the bank's parking lot,

where Drayton and Jones proceeded to don ski masks.

A bank employee happened to see the car pull into the lot

containing two men wearing ski masks. When she told her supervi-

sor that the bank was about to be robbed, the supervisor locked

the bank's doors. At that point, the car drove away without inci-

dent. The employee memorized the car's license plate number and

called the Tyler County Sheriff's Department.

A few minutes later, the car returned. Jones and Drayton,

both wearing ski masks on top of their heads, got out of the car

and walked toward the employee entrance of the bank. Drayton

2 carried a loaded .38 caliber revolver in his waistband. They

moved to the front entrance and began to shake the locked front

doors of the bank. After failing to force open the locked doors,

they ran back to the car. When the police stopped the three a few

minutes later, they discovered in the car a box of ammunition, two

ski masks, and a loaded .38 caliber revolver.

Drayton agreed to cooperate with the government and pleaded

guilty to attempted bank robbery in violation of section 2113(a).

In return, the government dropped the weapons charge under section

Count one of Jones's indictment stated,

On or about the 28th day of January, 1992, in the Eastern District of Texas, the defendant, Mark Anthony Jones, did attempt to enter the Bank of East Texas lo- cated in Chester, Texas, a bank whose deposits were then insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation with intent to commit in such bank larceny, and a felony affecting such bank, that is, the taking and carrying away, with intent to steal and purloin, property and money and other thing of value exceeding $100.00 belong- ing to and in the care, custody, control, management, and possession of such bank, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(a).

Count two of the indictment read,

On or about the 28th day of January, 1992, in the Eastern District of Texas, Mark Anthony Jones, Defendant herein, knowingly used and carried a firearm, namely, a .38 caliber Colt Detective Special, serial number 954584 during and in relation to a crime of violence for which he may be prosecuted in a court of the United States, namely attempted bank robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1).

While conducting voir dire, the prosecution questioned the

jury on attempted bank robbery. Jones objected on the ground that

he was indicted for attempted bank larceny, not robbery. At the

3 start of trial, the court instructed the jury that the defendant

was on trial for attempted bank robbery under count one. After

Jones objected again, the court clarified its statement, telling

the jury that Jones was on trial for attempted bank larceny. At

this point, the prosecutor argued that count one encompassed bank

larceny and "a felony," the felony of bank robbery. The defense

objected, and the court overruled its objection.

Both Drayton and Hulett testified against Jones at trial.

They testified that Jones knowingly had agreed to, and partici-

pated in, an attempt to rob the bank. Drayton also asserted that

since Jones watched him load the gun in the car, Jones was aware

that Drayton was carrying a loaded gun.

At the close of trial, the court instructed the jury that for

it to find Jones guilty on count one, it must find three things:

(1) that the defendant knowingly attempted to enter the bank

(2) with the intent to commit larceny or a felony and (3) that the

bank's deposits were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance

Corporation. Next the court instructed the jury that it could

find Jones guilty under count two if it found that (1) the defen-

dant committed the crime alleged in count one and (2) the defen-

dant or one of his accomplices knowingly used or carried a firearm

during the commission of the crime alleged in count one. The

court then advised the jury that "attempted bank robbery is a

crime of violence."

Jones objected to the court's instructions but was overruled.

The jury found him guilty on both counts. At the sentencing hear-

4 ing Jones objected again. The court sentenced him for bank rob-

bery and for carrying a firearm during the commission of a crime

of violence.

II.

Jones now appeals on the ground that the indictment did not

encompass bank robbery because it failed to include the essential

element of the use of force or intimidation; Drayton makes a simi-

lar argument. Jones also contends that his conviction under count

two should be reversed because the judge improperly instructed the

jury on the required elements of that charge. He maintains that

because bank larceny is not a crime of violence, a finding by the

jury of guilt under count one does not meet the requirement that a

crime of violence was committed as the trial court advised.

A.

Jones maintains that while count one charged him only with

bank larceny, he was convicted of bank robbery. To resolve this

issue, we must compare the language of the indictment with the

text of section 2113(a), which reads,

Whoever, by force and violence, or by intimidation, takes, or attempts to take, from the person or presence of another, or obtains or attempts to obtain by extor- tion any property or money or any other thing of value belonging to, or in the care, custody, control, manage- ment, or possession of, any bank, credit union, or any savings and loan association; or

Whoever enters or attempts to enter any bank, credit union, or any savings and loan association, or any building used in whole or in part as a bank, credit union, or as a savings and loan association, with intent

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