FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEV EN T HC IRC U IT AUG 9, 2007 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 07- 11080 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C . D ocketN o. 06 -000 13 -C R -5 U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A , P la in tif f - A p p e lle e , v ersu s R O G E R H A M E L I N , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e S o u th e rn D is tr ic t o f G e o r g ia

_________________________ ( A u gu s t 9, 2007) B efo re D U B IN A , C A RN E S an d K R A V IT C H , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: R oge rH a m e l i n appe a l s hi s c onvi c t i on f orpos s e s s i ng a f

i r e a rm a nd2

a m m uni t i on a s a c onvi c t e d f e l on on the gr ounds tha tthe G ove rnm e ntvi ol a t e d the S pe e dy T r i a l A c t . F orthe r e a s ons tha tf ol l ow , w e va c a t e the c onvi c t i on a nd r e m a nd t o the di s tr i c tc our tt o di s m i s s the i ndi c tm e nta nd de t e rm i ne w he the rthe di sm i ss al i s w i th o r w i tho utprej ud i ce . I . B AC KG RO UN D O n J ul y 14, 2005, a gr a nd j ury i ndi c t e d H a m e l i n on one c ountof pos s e s s i on o f a f i r e a r m a n d a mmu n i t i o n b y a c o n v i c t e d f e l o n , i n v i o l a t i o n o f

1 8 U . S. C. § 922( g) . H a m e l i n appe a r e d a thi s a rr a i gnm e ntbe f or e the m a gi s tr a t e j udge on A u g u s t 2 3 , 2 0 0 5 , a n d h e e n te r e d a p le a o f n o t g u ilty . O n M a y 9 , 2 0 0 6 , H a m e lin m ove d t o di s m i s s the i ndi c tm e ntw i th pr e j udi c e ba s e d on vi ol a t i on of the S pe e dy T ri al A ct , 18 U . S . C . §§ 31 61 -317 4. O n M ay13 , 20 06 , the di stri ctcourtdi sm i ss ed the i nd i ctm entw i tho utprej ud i ce . O n A u g u st1 0 , 2 0 0 6 , a g ran d j u ry retu rn ed a seco n d i n d i ctm en tag ai n st H a m e l i n f

orthe s a m e of

f e ns e — one c ountof

pos s e s s i on of

a f i r e a rm a nd a m m uni t i on by a c onvi c t e d f e l on, i n vi ol a t i on of

§ 922( g) . O n A ugus t26, 2006, H a m e lin a g a in ap p e a r e d b e f o r e th e m a g is tr a te ju d g e a n d p le a d e d n o t g u ilty . O n N o v e m b e r2 7 , 2 0 0 6 , H a m e lin a n d th e G o v e rn m e n t f ile dp r o p o s e d v o ir di r e que s t i ons a nd r e que s t s t o c ha r ge . O n N ove m be r30th, H a m e l i n f i l e d a m ot i on t o d i sm i ss the i nd i ctm entfor vi ol at i on of the S peedy T ri al A ct . In i t s w ri tt en3

re spon se t o H am el i n’ s m ot i on , the G ov ernm entadm i tt ed that“ [t ] he t ec hn i ca l r e qui r e m e nt s of

[ the S pe e dy T r i a l A c t ] ha ve notbe e n m e t , i n tha ti tappe a r s tha tthe 70th non- e xc l udabl e da y unde rthe A c tw a s N ove m be r29, 2006. ” B utthe G o v e rn m e n t a r g u e d “th a t th e d e la y r e s u lte d b e c a u s e th e C o u r t’s s ta f f s lig h tly m i scal cu l at ed th e d at e u p o n w h i ch th e t i m e w o u l d ex p i re. ” T h e G o v ern m en tal so a r gue d tha te ve n i f

di s m i s s a l w e r e w a rr a nt e d, s uc h di s m i s s a l s houl d be w i thout pr e j udi c e be c a us e the c ha r ge d of f e ns e w a s s e r i ous , the G ove rnm e nta c t e d i n good f a i th w i thoutde l a y orne gl e c t , a nd the G ove rnm e ntha d a n i nt e r e s ti n the e f f i c i e nt a d m in is tr a tio n o f

ju s tic e . O n the day H am el i n’ s tri al com m ence d, D ec em ber 4, 20 06 , the di stri ctcourt sum m ar i l y deni ed H am el i n’ s m ot i on t o d i sm i ss . A tthe concl usi on of tri al , the j ury co n v i ct ed H am el i n , an d th e d i stri ctco u rtsen t en ced h i m t o a t erm o f 9 8 m o n th s’ i m pr i s onm e nt , w hi c h he i s c urr e nt l y s e rvi ng. T hi s appe a l f ol l ow e d. I I . DI S CUS S I ON O n ap p e a l, H a m e lin a r g u e s th a t h is in d ic tm e n t s h o u ld b e d is m is s e d w ith prej ud i ce because he w as no tbrou gh tt o tri al w i thi n the 70 -dayperi od pres cr i bed b y th e S p e e d y T r ia l A c t. W e r e v ie w a c la im u n d e rth e S p e e d y T r ia l A c t d e n o v o . U n ite d S ta te s v . M ile s , 2 9 0 F .3 d 1 3 4 1 , 1 3 4 8 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 2 ) . T he S pe e dy T r i a l A c tpr ovi de s tha ta de f e nda ntw ho ha s e nt e r e d a pl e a of4

notgui l ty m us tbe tr i e d w i thi n 70 da y s f r om the f i l i ng of hi s i ndi c tm e ntor i nf or m a t i on, orf

r om the da t e on w hi c h he m a de hi s f i r s tappe a r a nc e be f

or e the c our t , w hi c he ve rda t e l a s toc c ur s . 18 U . S . C . § 3161( c ) ( 1) . I f the de f e nda nti s not tr i e d w i thi n the 70- da y t i m e l i m i t , the c our tm us tdi s m i s s the i ndi c tm e nt . I d. § 3 1 6 2 ( a ) ( 2 ) . T h e d is tr ic t c o u r t m u s t th e n d e te rm in e w h e th e rth e d is m is s a l is w ith o rw ith o u t p r e

ju d ic e b y c o n s id e r in g , “a m o n g o th e r s , e a c h o f th e f o llo w in g f

a c to r s : th e s e r io u s n e s s o f

th e o f f e n s e ; th e f

a c ts a n d c ir c u m s ta n c e s o f th e c a s e w h ic h le d to th e d is m is s a l; a n d th e im p a c t o f a r e p r o s e c u tio n o n th e a d m in is tr a tio n o f th is c hapt e ra nd on the a dm i ni s tr a t i on of j us t i c e . ” I d. “ [ I ] n or de rt o pr e ve ntabus e of the [ A c t ’ s ] de a dl i ne s , w e r e qui r e a s how i ng of s om e a f f i rm a t i ve j us t i f

i c a t i on by the g o v ern m en tt o w arran ta d i sm i ssal w i th o u tp rej u d i ce. ” U n i t ed S t at es v . G o d o y, 821 F . 2d 1498, 1505 ( 11th C i r . 1987) ( i nt e rna l quot a t i on m a rks om i tt e d) . B ut

“ [ a ] s i de f r om thi s l i m i t a t i on, the c hoi c e of s a nc t i on i s l e f

tt o the s ound di s c r e t i on of the di s tr i c tc our ta f

t e rc ons i de r a t i on of

the s t a tut ory f

a c t or s . ” I d. T hus , “ [ t ] the d is tr ic t c o u r t’s d e c is io n th a t th e d is m is s a l s h o u ld h a v e b e e n w ith o u t p r e ju d ic e w ill st an d , u n l ess th atco u rth as ab u sed i t s d i scret i o n . ” Id . T h e d efen d an tm u streq u est the re l i ef of di sm i ss al , and the defendant ’ s f ai l ure t o m ov e f

or di sm i ss al before tri al s h a l l c o n s t i tu t e a w a i v e ro f th e r i g h tt o d i s mi s s a l u n d e rth e A c t . 1 8 U . S. C. § 3 1 6 2 ( a ) ( 2 ) ; U n ite d S ta te s v . R e g is te r , 1 8 2 F .3 d 8 2 0 , 8 2 8 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 9 9 ) .5

H e r e , a s th e G o v e rn m e n t c o n c e d e s , H a m e lin w a s n o t b r o u g h t to tr ia l w ith in th e 7 0 - d a y tim e lim it p r e s c r ib e d b y th e S p e e d y T r ia l A c t. H a m e lin ’s m o tio n to di s m i s s the i ndi c tm e ntf orvi ol a t i on of

the A c tw a s f

i l e d on N ove m be r30, 20 06

— on e dayaf

t erthe expi ra t i on of the 70 -dayt i m e l i m i tand fou r day s bef ore hi s tr i a l w a s t o c om m e nc e . A s s uc h, the di s tr i c tc our te rr e d i n f a i l i ng t o di s m i s s the i nd i ctm entas re qu i re d b y the A ct . B ec ause the di stri ctcourtm ade no factual f i ndi ngs i n de ny i ng H a m e l i n’ s m ot i on ( s t a t i ng onl y tha tH a m e l i n s houl d ha ve r a is e d th e is s u e “lo n g b e f o r e th is p o in t to d a y ” ) w e r e m a n d to th e d is tr ic t c o u r t to di s m i s s the i ndi c tm e nta nd de t e r m i ne w he the rthe di s m i s s a l i s w i th orw i thout pr e j udi c e . S e e G odoy , 821 F . 2d a t1505 ( hol di ng tha tw he the ra di s m i s s a l f or vi ol at i on of the S peedy T ri al A cti s w i th o r w i tho utprej ud i ce i s w i thi n the di stri ct c o u r t’s “s o u n d d is c r e tio n ” b a s e d o n c o n s id e r a tio n o f th e s ta tu to ry f

a c to r s ) . I I I . CONCL US I ON F or the foregoi ng re as on s, w e VA C A TE H a m e l i n’ s c onvi c t i on, a nd RE MAND t o the di s tr i c tc our tw i th i ns truc t i ons t o di s m i s s the i ndi c tm e nta nd d e te r m in e w h e th e rth e d is m is s a l is w ith o rw ith o u t p r e ju d ic e .