Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-almd-2_17-cr-00010/USCOURTS-almd-2_17-cr-00010-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Jeffery Scott Roberson
Defendant
USA
Plaintiff

Document Text:

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR

THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF ALABAMA

NORTHERN DIVISION

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA )

 )

v. ) CR NO. 2:17cr10-MHT

 ) (WO)

JEFFERY SCOTT ROBERSON )

ORDER ON ARRAIGNMENT

On February 28, 2017, the defendant, Jeffery Scott Roberson, appeared in person and in 

open court with counsel, Donnie Bethel, and was arraigned in accordance with the provisions of 

Rule 10 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.

PLEA. The defendant entered a plea of NOT GUILTY. Counsel for the defendant is 

requested to contact the U.S. Attorney immediately if the defendant intends to engage in plea 

negotiations. If the defendant decides to change this plea, the parties shall file a notice of intent to 

plead guilty or otherwise notify the clerk’s office at or before the pretrial conference and then this 

action will be set on a plea docket.

PRELIMINARY SENTENCING GUIDELINES INFORMATION. The court no 

longer requires the United States Probation Office to provide preliminary sentencing guideline 

information to defendants. However, in difficult or complex cases defendants may request the 

United States Probation Office to provide Sentencing Guideline calculation assistance with the

understanding that any estimate is tentative only and is not binding on the United States Probation 

Office, the parties or the court. The court expects that requests for Sentencing Guideline calculation 

assistance shall be the exception and that defendants will not make such requests a matter of 

routine. A request for Sentencing Guideline calculation assistance shall be made in writing to the 

supervisor of the Presentence Investigation Unit of the United States Probation Office not later 

than 10 days from the date of this order. The calculation shall be completed not later than one 

week before the pretrial conference.

PRETRIAL CONFERENCE. An initial pretrial conference is hereby set for March 15, 

2017 at 3:00 p.m. Courtroom 5B, Frank J. Johnson, Jr. Federal Building and United States 

Courthouse Complex, One Church Street, Montgomery, Alabama before Chief United States 

Magistrate Judge Susan Russ Walker. Not later than three days prior to the date of the pretrial 

conference, counsel shall confer about the issues and matters to be discussed at the pretrial 

conference as set forth in this order. Counsel who want in-custody defendants to attend must 

notify the Magistrate Judge within three days of the conference date so that an order to produce 

can be issued to the United States Marshal.

At the pretrial conference defense counsel and counsel for the government shall be fully 

prepared to discuss all pending motions, the status of discovery, possible stipulations, and the 

estimated length of the trial. The defense counsel and counsel for the government shall be fully 

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prepared to provide a definite commitment as to the final disposition of this case – by trial, plea or 

other non-trial disposition. If resolution of a dispositive motion will affect the nature of this 

commitment, counsel must be fully prepared to discuss this type of resolution. If the case is for 

plea, the notice of intent to enter a plea should be filed at the time of the pretrial conference. If 

counsel require additional time for plea negotiations, counsel should be prepared to inform the 

court about the date when those negotiations will be completed.

TRIAL. At arraignment, the parties agreed that due to the nature of this case, the need for 

adequate time for discovery and the need for counsel to have adequate time for trial preparation, 

the case should be set for trial before United States District Judge Myron H. Thompson on the 

trial term beginning on May 15, 2017, at 10:00 a.m., in Montgomery, Alabama, unless otherwise 

ordered by the court. 

In setting this case for trial on the term indicated above, the court recognizes that the 

Speedy Trial Act places limits on the court’s discretion, and that under the act, the trial of a 

defendant must commence within 70 days of the date of the indictment or the date of the 

defendant’s first appearance before a judicial officer, whichever is later. 18 U.S.C. § 3161(c)(1). 

In determining whether a case should be set after the expiration of the 70 day period, a court must 

consider among other factors “[w]hether the failure to [set the case at a later date] ... would be 

likely to ... result in a miscarriage of justice.” 18 U.S.C. § 3161(h)(7)(B)(I). The court also must 

consider “whether the failure to grant such a continuance ... would deny counsel for the defendant 

or the attorney for the government the reasonable time necessary for effective preparation, taking 

into account the exercise of due diligence.” 18 U.S.C. § 3161(h)(7)(B)(iv). Based on the nature of 

this case, the parties’ need for adequate time for discovery and the need for counsel to have 

adequate time for trial preparation, the court finds that the ends of justice served by setting this 

case on this trial term outweigh the best interest of the public and the defendant in a speedy trial.

PRETRIAL MOTIONS. All pretrial motions under Fed.R.Crim.P. 12(b) and (d), 14 and 

16, all notices under Fed.R.Crim.P. 12.1, 12.2 and 12.3, and any motion to compel pursuant to 

M.D. Ala. LCrR 16.1 Criminal Discovery (a copy of this Rule may be found at

http://www.almd.uscourts.gov/forms/almd-local-rules) must be filed no later than TWO DAYS 

BEFORE THE FIRST PRETRIAL CONFERENCE HELD IN THIS CASE, except that if 

the pretrial conference falls on Monday, the deadline for filing pretrial motions is always the 

preceding Wednesday. No motion filed after this date will be considered unless filed with leave 

of court. A continuance of the pretrial conference or trial does not extend the motions deadline. 

THE CONFERENCING REQUIREMENT SET FORTH IN M.D. Ala. LCrR 16.1(C) 

CRIMINAL DISCOVERY SHALL BE MET BEFORE THE COURT WILL CONSIDER 

ANY DISCOVERY MOTION. THE COURT WILL DENY MOTIONS TO ADOPT 

MOTIONS FILED BY OTHER DEFENDANTS.

Motions to suppress must allege specific facts which, if proven, would provide a basis of 

relief. This court will summarily dismiss suppression motions which are supported only by general 

or conclusory assertions founded on mere suspicion or conjecture. All grounds upon which the 

defendant relies must be specifically stated in the motion in separately numbered paragraphs 

in a section of the motion which is labeled "Issues Presented." Grounds not stated in the 

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"Issues Presented" section of the motion will be deemed to have been waived. See generally

United States v. Richardson, 764 F.2d 1514,1526-27 (11th Cir. 1985).

The government shall file a response to all motions filed by the defendant on or before 

five days prior to the date set for a hearing on the motion or, if no hearing is necessary, on or 

before ten days after the date of the pretrial conference.

DISCOVERY. All discovery in this action shall be conducted according to the 

requirements of M.D. Ala. LCrR 16.1 Criminal Discovery. Unless the government provided 

initial disclosures to defendant prior to or at arraignment, the government is ORDERED to tender 

initial disclosures to the defendant on or before February 28, 2017. Disclosures by the defendant, 

as required by M.D. Ala. LCrR 16.1(a)(4) shall be provided on or before March 7, 2017.

JENCKS ACT STATEMENTS. The government agrees to provide defense counsel with 

all Jencks Act statements no later than the day scheduled for the commencement of the trial.1

MANDATORY APPEARANCE OF COUNSEL. Counsel of record for all parties are 

ORDERED to appear at all future court proceedings in this criminal case. Those attorneys who 

find it impossible to be in attendance (especially at the pretrial conference, jury selection, or trial) 

must make arrangements to have substitute counsel appear on behalf of their clients. Any attorney 

who appears as substitute counsel for a defendant shall have full authorization from the defendant 

to act on his or her behalf and be fully prepared to proceed. Substitute counsel shall not be counsel 

for a co-defendant unless permitted by the court after proper motion. Any counsel who wishes to 

have substitute counsel appear must obtain permission of the court in advance.

NOTE: Except in extraordinary circumstances or circumstances in which the 

Constitution would require it, the court will not entertain motions to withdraw filed by 

counsel who appear at arraignment unless the motions are filed within seven days of the date 

of this order. Failure to obtain fees from a client is not an extraordinary circumstance.

DONE, on this the 2nd day of March, 2017.

/s/ Susan Russ Walker

Susan Russ Walker

United States Magistrate Judge

 1 In certain complex cases, the government may agree to earlier production.

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