# U ni te d S ta te s Co ur t of A pp ea ls For the Eig hth Circu it

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No. 1 8- 23 13

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ Uni te d S ta te s o f Am eri ca

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Pla in ti

ff - App el le e

v.

Ch au nc ey Reg ot

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Defe nd

an t - Ap pe ll an t

__ __ __ __ __ __ App eal fro m

Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t fo r th e Eas te rn Dis tri ct of M is so ur i - St . Lou is

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Su bm it te d: Apri l 1 5, 2 01 9 Fi le d: Ju ly 16, 2 01 9 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re SM ITH, Chi ef J ud ge , ARNOLD and KELLY , Cir cu it Ju dg es

.

__ __ __ __ __ __ PER CURI AM.

In th e fal l of 2 0 1 3
, C h a un cey Reg ot was se rv in g a se nt en ce of 57 m on th s’ im pr is on m en t an d 3 y ears ’ su pe rv is ed rel eas e fo r be i n g a f e l o n in po ss es si on of a f ire arm . Ab ou t th ree an d a ha lf y ears in to hi s se nt en ce, Reg ot was tra ns ferr ed f r o m

a fed eral pr is on in Fl or id a to a res id en ti al reen try cen te r in Mi ss ou ri to co m pl et e th e

rem ai nd er of hi s se nt en ce. Reg ot vi ol at ed th e ru le s of th e reen try cen te r by te st in g
po si ti ve f o r a lc oh ol an d op ia te s an d was th us tra ns ferr ed to a co un ty jail ab ou t am on th aft er arri vi ng at th e cen te r. In Ju ne 20 17
, Reg ot was tra ns f e r r e d b a c k to th e

reen try cent er an d was sch ed ul ed for rel eas e th at fal l.

By Aug us t, Reg ot ha d ag ai n vi ol at ed th e reen try c e n t e r ’s ru le s by be in g in

po ss es si on of dr ug s, an d of fic ers fro m th e sh eri ff ’s de pa rtment were sc he du le d to
tra ns fer Reg ot ba ck to a co un ty j ai l o n Au gu st 17

. Howev er, as th e of fic ers arri ve d, Reg ot es cap ed fro m th e ree n t r y c e n t er th ro ug h an em erg en cy ex it do or

. Reg ot ’s whe reab ou ts rem ai ne d un kn own un ti l U.S. Mar s h a l s a rres te d hi m in Geo rg ia th at Nov em be r. Reg ot th en pl ead ed gu il ty to on e co un t of e s c a p e fro m cu st od y , in vi ol at io n o f 18 U.S.C. § 7 51 (a).

Reg ot ’s pr es en te nc e rep or t (PSR ) cal cu la t e d a n o f f en se le ve l of se ve n an d a

cr i mi n a l h i st or y cat eg or y of V, res ul ti ng in a Gui de li ne s ran ge of 12 –1 8 m on th s’ im pr is on m en t. The di st ric t co ur t ad op te d th e PSR at se nt en ci ng bu t de sc rib ed th e 1
Gui de li ne s as “ woe fu ll y un de rs ta te d,” po in ti ng to Reg ot ’s de cad es -lo ng hi st or y of cri m in al it y

. Sen te nc in g Tr. at 8, U n i t e d St at es v. Reg ot , No. 4: 17 -cr- 00 47 6- SNLJ (E.D. Mo

. Ju ne 18
, 20 18 ), ECF No. 47

. Reg ot ’s reco rd in cl ud ed m ul ti p l e d r i v i ng vi ol a t i o n s as well as po ss es si on of st ol en pr op ert y , un la wfu l us e of a weap on , bu rg la ry , res is ti ng arre st , ass au lt , po ss es si on of d ru g p arap he rn al ia
, an d leav in g th e

sc en e of an acci de nt ; it al so in di cat ed th at he ha d in cu rred ov er 40 co nd uc t vi ol at io ns whi le in carc erat ed in Mi ss ou ri. Wh i l e th e co ur t no te d th at Reg ot was “ bo un d to do

a lo t be tt er,” id

. at 4, no w th at he ha d go tt en so be r, it ne ve rth el es s co ns id ered Reg ot

“ a da ng er to so ci et y ” ba se d on hi s hi st or y

. Id

. at 9. The di st ric t co ur t st at ed it ha d

co ns id ered th e 18 U.S.C. § 35 53 (a) se nt en ci ng fact or s an d im po se d a se nt en ce of 36

m on th s’ im

pr is on m en t. Af

te r th e co ur t an no un ced it s se nt en ce, Reg ot ’s co un se l ob jecte d, rem in di ng th e co ur t of Reg ot ’s di ffi cu lt up br in gi ng as a m it ig at in g ci rcu m st an ce. The co ur t ack no wled ge d th is arg um en t bu t ex p l a i n e d th at Reg ot ’s

The Hon or ab le St ep he n N. Lim ba ug h, Jr
., Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r th e 1 East ern Dis tri ct of M is so ur i.

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-pe rs on al ba ck gr ou nd di d no t jus ti fy a lo wer se nt en ce fo r th e in st an t of fen se

. The co ur t th en sp ok e to Reg ot di rect ly, ex pr es si ng co nc ern at hi s ha v i n g e s c ap ed fro m th e

reen try cen te r an d qu es ti on in g th e si nc eri ty of hi s st at ed de si re to “ g[ et ] on th e rig ht

tra ck ” b as ed on th at esc ap e. Id

. at 13

.

Reg ot a p p eal s hi s se nt en ce, arg ui ng it is su bs ta nt iv el y un reas on ab le

. He

co nt en ds th at 36 m on th s’ i mp r i so nm en t wou ld be m or e ap pr op ria te fo r an es cap e fro m a pr is on rat he r th an hi s wal k a way fro m a reen try facil it y

.

In rev ie win g a se nt en ce fo r su bs ta nt iv e reas on ab le ne ss , we “ ta ke in to acco un t th e to ta li ty of th e ci rcu m st an ces , in cl ud in g th e ex te nt of an y va ria nc e fro m th e Gui de li ne s ran ge .” Uni te d St at es v. Feems te r , 57 2 F.3 d 45 5, 46 1 (8 th Ci r. 20 09 ) (en ba nc ) (q uo ti ng Gal l v. Un it ed St at es , 55 2 U.S. 3 8, 5 1 (2 00 7) ). Howev er,

we are no t pe rm it te d to ap pl y a pr es um pt io n of un reas on ab le ne ss if th e
se nt en ce is ou ts id e th e Gui de li ne s rang e. In st ead , we m ay co ns id er t he

ex te nt of th e de vi at io n, bu t m us t gi ve du e de fere nc e to th e di s t ric t

co ur t’s de ci si on th at th e § 35 53 (a) fact or s, on a who le
, jus ti fy th e ex te nt of t h e va ria nc e.

. . . J us t be cau se we m ig ht reas on ab ly h av e co nc lu de d th at a di ffer en t se nt en ce was ap pr op ria te is in su ffi ci en t to jus ti fy re ve rs al of th e d is tri ct co ur t.

I d

. at 46 1– 62 (cl ean ed up ). A d is tri ct co ur t m ay co ns id er fact or s al read y ta ke n i n t o

acco un t by th e Gui de li ne s in jus ti fy in g an ab ov e-Gu id el in es s en te nc e, as lo ng as it

“ ta ke [s ] care in do in g so .” Uni te d St at es v. Th or ne , 89 6 F.3 d 86 1, 86 5 (8 th Ci r. 20 18 ) (p er cu ria m ).

Here, th e reco rd de m on st rat es th at th e di st ric t co ur t care fu ll y co ns id ered bo th th e in st an t offe ns e an d R eg ot ’s hi st or y in fas hi on in g i ts sen te nc e. The di st ric t co ur t di sc us se d Reg ot ’s es cap e fro m th e reen try cen te r an d ho w it refl e c t e d on Reg ot ’s al le ge d de si re to ge t so be r an d tu rn hi s li fe aro un d; hi s tro ub li ng rel at io ns hi p to dr ug s

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-a n d al co ho l; an d hi s nu m ero us no n- vi ol en t an d vi ol en t cri m es

. W hi le Reg ot m ay

di sa gr ee wit h th e weig ht th e di st ric t co u r t g av e to hi st or y , su ch weig hi ng was a

“ pe rm is si bl e ex erci se ” of th e co ur t’s di sc ret io n. Id

. a t 86 6 (in te rn al qu ot at io n

o mi tt ed ). “ [I]t wil l be th e un us ua l cas e whe n we rev ers e a di st ric t co u r t

se nt en ce— whe th er wit hi n, ab ov e, or be lo w th e ap pl ic ab le Gui de li ne s ran ge —as

su bs t a n t i v e l y un reas on ab le .” Feems te r , 57 2 F.3 d at 46 4 (q uo ti ng Uni te d St at es v. Gar de ll in i , 54 5 F.3 d 10 89
, 10 90 (D.C. Ci r. 20 08 )). Giv in g du e de fere nc e to t h e di st ric t co ur t’s ev al ua ti on of th e § 35 53 (a) fa c t o r s a s a who le
, in cl ud in g Reg ot ’s cri m in al hi st or y an d pe rs on al ba ck gr ou nd
, we co nc lu de th e 36 -m on th se nt en ce in th is

cas e is no t s ub st an ti ve ly unr eas on ab le

.

The jud gm en t o f th e d is tri ct co ur t i s af fir m ed

.

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