U.S. v. Blunt, 77-5050

Decision Date25 July 1977
Docket NumberNo. 77-5050,77-5050
Citation558 F.2d 1245
Parties2 Fed. R. Evid. Serv. 153 UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Thomas E. BLUNT, Defendant-Appellant.
CourtU.S. Court of Appeals — Sixth Circuit

Robert W. Willmott, Jr., Lexington, Ky., Court Appointed CJA, for defendant-appellant.

Eldon L. Webb, U. S. Atty., Robert F. Trevey, Asst. U. S. Atty., Lexington, Ky., for plaintiff-appellee.

Before PHILLIPS, Chief Judge, ENGEL, Circuit Judge, and FREEMAN, Senior District Judge. *

PER CURIAM.

Appellant Blunt was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to do bodily harm in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 113(c). The assault occurred within the confines of the Federal Correctional Institution at Lexington, Kentucky. Blunt's sole question on appeal is whether the government adequately proved the jurisdictional predicate of § 113; that is, whether the Federal Correctional Institution is within the "special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States" as defined in 18 U.S.C. § 7.

Section 7(3) of Title 18 states:

The term 'special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States', as used in this title, includes: . . . (3) Any lands reserved or acquired for the use of the United States, and under the exclusive or concurrent jurisdiction thereof, or any place purchased or otherwise acquired by the United States by consent of the legislature of the State in which the same shall be, for the erection of a fort, magazine, arsenal, dockyard, or other needful building.

Blunt argues that the testimony of the facility manager of the Federal Correctional Institution was incompetent to establish federal ownership of the property comprising the Institution. Specifically, Blunt argues that the federal government had transferred approximately half of the acreage it had owned to Fayette County, Kentucky for the establishment of state parks. Because the facility manager did not possess personal knowledge of the deeds transferring ownership of the land, Blunt concludes that the government did not adequately prove that the land retained by the United States was that portion upon which the assault occurred. The facility manager did, however, testify that no part of the Federal Correctional Institution had been conveyed.

We reject the implicit premise advanced by appellant that the government is required to show a chain of title for a federal prison to establish the territorial...

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  • United States v. Sadekni
    • United States
    • U.S. District Court — District of South Dakota
    • 1 March 2017
    ...at 528. 52. See United States v. Corey, 232 F.3d 1166, 1176 (9th Cir. 2000), cert. denied, 534 U.S. 887 (2001); United States v. Blunt, 558 F.2d 1245, 1246 (6th Cir. 1977); United States v. Erdos, 474 F.2d 157, 159 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 414 U.S. 876 (1973); United States v. Morton, 314 ......
  • White v. United States, CASE NO. 2:10-CV-70
    • United States
    • U.S. District Court — Southern District of Ohio
    • 26 October 2011
    ...v. Bello, 194 F.3d 18, 23 (6th Cir. 1999)(quoting United States v. Piggie, 622 F.2d 486, 488 (10th Cir. 1980); United States v. Blunt, 558 F.2d 1245, 1247 (6th Cir. 1977)). The record likewise fails to reflect that the jury instructions were improper. "Venue need only be proven by a prepond......
  • U.S. v. Jones
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — Sixth Circuit
    • 31 July 1978
    ...Rules of Evidence. For these reasons, the particular requirements of Rule 201(g) would not have applied.7 See also United States v. Blunt, 558 F.2d 1245 (6th Cir. 1977), in which we held that proof that Blunt had committed an assault within the confines of the Federal Correctional Instituti......
  • U.S.A. v. Bello, 98-1831
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — First Circuit
    • 11 June 1999
    ...contained in Fed.R.Evid. 201(b) . . . ." United States v. Piggie, 622 F.2d 468, 488 (10th Cir. 1980); see also United States v. Blunt, 558 F.2d 1245, 1247 (6th Cir. 1977). Moreover, "official government maps have long been held proper subjects of judicial notice." Government of Canal Zone v......
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