United States v. Jones, 110707 FED10, 05-1329
| Party Name | UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. ROBERT JEROME JONES, Defendant - Appellant. |
| Case Date | November 07, 2007 |
| Court | United States Courts of Appeals, U.S. Court of Appeals — Tenth Circuit |
D. Colo. (D.C. No. 03-CR-493-WM)
ORDER AND JUDGMENT[*]
Before MURPHY, ANDERSON, and O'BRIEN, Circuit Judges.
Terrence L. O'Brien, Circuit Judge
After an altercation with two prison guards at the federal prison in Florence, Colorado, Robert Jerome Jones was indicted on two counts of assault resulting in bodily injury in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(a)1 & (b).1 A jury returned a verdict of guilty on one count of assault causing bodily injury (§ 111(b)) and one count of the lesser included offense, assault which did not cause bodily injury (§ 111(a)). On July 1, 2005, Jones was sentenced on both counts to a total of thirty-six months imprisonment which were to run consecutive to the sentence he was serving at the time of the altercation. He appeals alleging error in the trial court's denial of his motion to dismiss the charges, two instructions to the jury, the sufficiency of the evidence, the district court's denial of his second motion for a new trial and, finally, the reasonableness of the sentence imposed. We AFFIRM.
I. BACKGROUND
To a point in time, the facts are uncontested.2 Robert Jones was an inmate at the Bureau of Prison's Administrative Maximum (ADX) facility in Florence, Colorado. He was serving a 260-month sentence imposed after he pled guilty to second degree murder, use of a firearm in commission of a crime of violence and perjury. On July 15, 2003, Jones was scheduled to be examined by medical personnel at the prison. Officers Brian Eichers and Ronald Stevens were sent to Jones's cell to escort him to his appointment. Eichers was the unit officer in charge and Stevens was the baton-coverage officer providing protection to the officer in charge. The escort procedure required Eichers to search Jones, apply restraints (including handcuffs) and move him while maintaining contact with the chain between the handcuffs. Normally, an inmate's hands would be handcuffed behind him, but the medical staff had requested Jones's hands be restrained in front to facilitate the medical procedures. Officer Eichers, 5' 5" tall and 140 pounds, front-cuffed Jones, 5'10" tall and 180 pounds, and led Jones out of the cell.
Subsequent events are the subject of contradicting testimony. Eichers testified that before securing Jones with a belly chain around his waist as required, he could feel Jones staring into his eyes and noticed Jones appeared "angry and agitated." (R. Vol. XI at 45.) Stevens testified Jones was looking at Eichers with a "dead, cold stare" he had not seen between inmates and staff before. (R. Vol. XIII at 500.) However, when Stevens had observed such a stare between inmates, it meant "[t]hey're going to fight, in most cases." (Id. at 502.)
Eichers testified he asked Jones what was wrong, to which Jones gave no reply. When Eichers repeated the question, Jones stated, "You guys got the f*****g problem." (R. Vol. XI at 45.) Eichers determined Jones was too agitated to be moved and decided to terminate the escort. He told Jones to return to his cell. Jones did not respond. Eichers repeated the order two more times to which Jones replied he was not returning to his cell. Jones then stepped back and Eichers attempted to place his hand on Jones's shoulder to physically "turn him and walk him back in[to]" the cell while continuing his hold on the handcuffs' chain. (Id. at 54.) At this point, Jones began to wrench the handcuffs together, placing sufficient pressure to cause a "pretty good cut on [Eichers's] left thumb." (Id. at 56.) Jones continued to wrench the handcuffs and then pulled his hands towards his chest and above his head in an attempt to break away from Eichers. Eichers tried to move Jones against the wall to regain control. At this point, Stevens entered the fray to assist Eichers in subduing Jones. Stevens tried to use his baton to help pin Jones against the wall, but Jones grabbed it and the two struggled for the baton. During one point in the struggle, Jones was in a sitting position on the floor with Eichers on his back. Nonetheless, Jones stood up. Stevens was able to regain control of the baton and struck Jones several times "as hard as [he] could" but Jones did not react. (R. Vol. XIII at 514.) Jones again grabbed the baton and Eichers eventually brought him to the floor and got Jones in a headlock. Stevens and Jones were still struggling for the baton with Stevens "kind of leaned back up against the wall and kind of on top of Officer Eichers." (Id. at 521.). Jones kicked at Stevens twice, once hitting him in the chest and narrowly missing his head.
Officer Todd Lillard, who was working in the control center, observed Jones exit the cell with an aggressive stance and an agitated facial expression. Based on this observation, Lillard turned on the intercom and heard Eichers tell Jones to step back into his cell. He saw Jones abruptly pull back from Eichers and when the melee began, he activated an alarm to call staff to assist the officers. Several officers responded and eventually secured Jones.
In contrast, Jones testified the officers provoked his reaction. He stated when Eichers and Stevens arrived at his cell, he was in an aroused state from writing a sexually explicit letter to a female. Jones maintained Eichers strip-searched him which caused Jones embarrassment. Jones stated Eichers asked him why he "was looking at him real hard for." (Id. at 711.) Eichers then asked Jones three times whether Jones thought it was funny that Eichers saw him in that condition. Jones testified he answered "no" and then laughed at Eichers. (Id.) At that point, Eichers grabbed him and the struggle ensued when Jones tried to pull away. According to Jones, when he saw Stevens coming at him with the baton, he reacted to protect himself. Jones denied trying to twist his handcuffs and stated he was not trying to take the baton from Stevens. He testified he was not trying to hurt Stevens when he kicked out but was merely trying to get Eichers to let him go.
Jones and the officers were taken to the medical unit for examination. Paramedic Michael Carr examined Jones and applied a steri-strip band-aid to an inch long cut on Jones's left elbow and noted minor scrapes to a finger, a wrist and his middle back. Physician Assistant Anthony Osagie examined Eichers and Stevens. Eichers was treated for an injury to his left thumb and Osagie noted multiple minor scrapes on Stevens. Osagie also took Stevens's vital signs because Stevens was in a terrified emotional state.
The struggle was captured by a camera located at the end of the hall near Jones's cell. There is no audio component and the videotape is not of high quality. It is difficult to discern the participants' detailed movements and Jones has his back to the camera prior to the fight. Consequently, the tape's value is limited.
Jones was charged with two counts of assault on a federal officer resulting in bodily injury in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(b). Prior to trial, Jones filed a motion to dismiss the indictment alleging the government violated the Interstate Agreement on Detainers Act (IADA or the Act). He claimed the violation occurred when he was transferred back to Florence after being housed in federal facilities in Denver, Colorado. The court heard arguments at the pretrial conference and denied the motion on the first day of trial.
The jury convicted Jones of an assault on Stevens resulting in bodily injury. The jury also found him guilty of the lesser included offense of assault with physical contact on Eichers. Jones filed two motions for a new trial. The district court denied the first motion, while the second motion remained pending. The court sentenced Jones to a total of thirty-six months, consecutive to the 260-month sentence he was serving at the time of the assaults. Jones appealed (Appeal No. 05-1329). We granted a limited remand to allow the district court to consider Jones's second motion for a new trial. After the court denied that motion, Jones filed a second appeal (Appeal No. 06-1105) from that ruling. We consolidated the appeals.
II. DISCUSSION
Jones raises several issues. Regarding pre-trial matters, Jones argues the trial court erred in denying his motion to dismiss the indictment. He claims the government was estopped from arguing the IADA did not apply. His alleged trial errors include a challenge to two jury instructions (instructions on self-defense and the use of prior felony convictions) and insufficient evidence to support his conviction. Finally, Jones sets forth two post-trial complaints: (1) the court's sentence lacks adequate explanation and is procedurally and substantively unreasonable and (2) the trial court wrongly denied his second motion for a new trial.
A. Pre-trial Error
The IADA is a compact "among 48 states, the United States and the District of Columbia." United States v. Coffman, 905 F.2d 330, 331 (10th Cir. 1990). It provides procedures by which one correctional jurisdiction (such as Colorado state court) with charges pending against a prisoner housed in another correctional jurisdiction (for example, New Mexico state court) can arrange for transfer of the prisoner. 18 U.S.C. App. 2, § 2, Art. IV. Its purpose is to afford the prisoner a speedy trial on pending charges. 18 U.S.C. App. 2, § 2, Art. I. The IADA has a provision prohibiting the transfer of a prisoner back to the original jurisdiction prior to trial, i.e. the anti-shuffling provision. If such transfer occurs, the "indictment, information, or complaint shall not be of any further force or effect, and the court shall enter an order dismissing the same with prejudice." 18 U.S.C. App. 2, § 2, Art. IV(e).
After Jones was initially indicted, the United States Marshal's Service lodged a detainer with the Florence facility,...
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