Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-06-03383/USCOURTS-ca8-06-03383-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Levonne E. Dallas
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

1

The Honorable Fernando J. Gaitan, Jr., Chief Judge, United States District

Court for the Western District of Missouri.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 06-3383

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the

* Western District of Missouri.

Levonne E. Dallas, *

* [UNPUBLISHED]

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: June 6, 2007

Filed: July 12, 2007 

___________

Before RILEY, MAGILL and MELLOY, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Levonne Dallas pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm in

violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). At sentencing, over Dallas’s

objection, the district court1

 applied a 4-level enhancement under U.S.S.G.

§ 2K2.1(b)(5) (2005), and sentenced him to 71 months in prison and 3 years of

supervised release. He appeals, contesting the enhancement. Reviewing the district

court’s application of the Guidelines de novo and its factual findings for clear error,

see United States v. Anderson, 339 F.3d 720, 724 (8th Cir. 2003), we affirm.

Appellate Case: 06-3383 Page: 1 Date Filed: 07/12/2007 Entry ID: 3328906
2

Dallas’s girlfriend told police that he had put the gun in her face, loaded it, then

again pointed the gun in her face, causing her to plead with him not to shoot. Dallas

told police that the gun was unloaded.

-2-

The Guidelines provide for a 4-level enhancement if a felon-in-possession

defendant such as Dallas “used or possessed any firearm or ammunition in connection

with another felony offense,” meaning any federal, state, or local offense that is

punishable by at least one year in prison, whether or not a criminal charge was

brought or a conviction obtained. See U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(5) & comment. (n.4)

(2005). 

The district court did not err in assessing the challenged enhancement: in the

midst of a heated argument during which Dallas physically assaulted his girlfriend,

he put a shotgun to her head. This constitutes a Missouri felony regardless whether

the gun was loaded2

 and regardless of the state prosecutor’s decision to allow Dallas

to plead guilty to a reduced charge. See Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 558.011.1(4), 571.030.1(4),

571.030.7 (2007) (person is guilty of Class D felony for unlawful use of firearm,

punishable by up to 4 years in prison, if that person “exhibits, in the presence of one

or more persons, any weapon readily capable of lethal use in an angry or threatening

manner”); United States v. Bryant, 349 F.3d 1093, 1098 (8th Cir. 2003) (even when

charges for qualifying felonies were later dismissed, court may still apply

§ 2K2.1(b)(5)); State v. Lutjen, 661 S.W.2d 845, 847 (Mo. Ct. App. 1983) (“A gun

is easily transformed into a lethal weapon by the insertion of bullets.

[Section 571.030.1(4)] does not contemplate that the gun be already lethal [loaded],

but only that the weapon can readily become lethal [by loading].”).

Accordingly, we affirm.

______________________________

Appellate Case: 06-3383 Page: 2 Date Filed: 07/12/2007 Entry ID: 3328906