# U n i t e d S t a t e s C o u r t o f A pp e a l s
For the Eig hth Circu it

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No . 1 8 -2 2 83

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Ro d eri ck Co l v i n

l l l l l l l l l l ll l l l l l l l ll Pet i t i o n er - Ap p el l a n t

v

.

Un i t ed St at es o f Am eri ca

l l l l l ll l ll l l l l l l l l l l l R es

p o nd en t - Ap p el lee

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Ap p eal fro m

Un i t ed St at es Di s t ri ct Co u rt fo r t he Eas t ern Di s t ri ct o f M i s s o u ri - St . Lo u i s

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Su b m it t ed : Ap ri l 1 8, 2 0 1 9
Fi l ed : J u l y

1 , 2 01 9 [Un pu b l is h ed ]

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Befo re LOKEN, W OLLM AN, an d STRAS, Ci rcu i t J u d g es

.

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PER CURIAM

.

Ro d eri ck Co l v i n ap p eal s t h e d en ial o f hi s 2 8 U.S.C. § 2 2 5 5 p et i t i o n, al l eg i n g

t h at h e l ack s th e req u i s i t e p ri o r co n v i ct i o n s t o q u al i fy fo r an en h an cem en t u n d er t h e

Arm ed Career Cri m i nal Act (ACCA), 1 8 U.S.C. § 9 2 4 (e), i n t h e w ak e o f J o h n s o n v.

Un i ted St at es , 1 3 5 S. Ct

. 2 5 5 1 (2 0 1 5 ). W e affi rm i n p art

, rev ers e i n p art

, an d rem an d

fo r t h e d i s t ri ct co u rt t o d et erm i n e wh et h er Co l vi n ’ s s en t en ci n g co u rt m o re l i k el y t h ann o t rel i ed o n t h e ACCA’ s i n v al i d at e d r e s i d u a l cl au s e t o cl as s i fy h i s res i s t i n g arres t

co n vi ct i o n as a v i o l en t fel o n y

.

Co l v i n p l ead e d g u i l t y i n Decem b er 2 00 8 t o b ei n g a fel on i n po s ses s i o n o f a

fi rearm i n v i ol at i o n o f 18 U .S.C. § 9 2 2 (g ). Th e pres en t en ce rep o rt reco m m en d ed an

ACCA en h an cem en t

, ci t i n g ei gh t p ri o r co n vi ct i o n s t hat co n s t i t u t ed v io l en t fel o n i es

an d s eri o u s d ru g o ffen s es

. Th e d i s t ri ct co u rt cal cu l at ed a U.S. Sen t en ci n g Gu i d el i n es
ad v is o ry ran ge o f 1 8 8 t o 2 3 5 m o n t hs ’ i m pri s o n m en t

. Aft er i n i t i al l y i m p o s i ng a 2 1 0

-

m o nt h sen ten ce i n M arch 2 0 0 9

, t h e co urt g ran t ed t h e g o v ern m en t’ s m o t io n fo r a
red u ct i o n an d i m

p o s ed a 1 8 0-m o nt h s en t en c e, t h e m an d at o ry m i n i m u m p erm i t t ed

u n d er t h e ACCA, i n M ay 2 0 1 0 . 1 8 U.S.C. § 9 2 4 (a)(2 ).

Fo l l owi n g t h e Su p rem e Co u rt ’ s d eci s i on i n J o h n s on , Co l v i n m o v ed t o v acat e

h i s s en t en ce u n d er 2 8 U.S.C. § 2 2 5 5

. Th e g ov ern m en t co n ced ed t h at fi v e of Co l v i n ’ s

p ri o r co n vi ct i o n s n o l o ng er qu al i fi ed as ACCA p red i cat e o ffen s es , b u t arg u ed t h at h e

r e t a i n e d t h ree q u al i fy in g co n v i ct i o n s : s eco n d-d eg ree as s au l t ; u n lawfu l u s e o f a

weap o n

— ex h ib it i n g (u n l awfu l u s e), s ee M o. Rev

. St at

. § 5 7 1 .0 3 0 .1 (4 ) (1 9 9 5 ); an d

res i st i n g arres t

, s ee M o

. Rev

. St at

. § 5 75 .1 5 0 .1 (1 ) (1 9 9 5 ). Co lv i n co n t en ded t h at t h e

l at t er t wo o ffen s es were n o l o n g er v i o l en t fel o ni es an d t hat th ey co u l d no t co u n t as

s ep arat e p red i cat e o ffen ses b ecau s e t h ey were n o t co m m i t t ed o n s ep arat e o ccas i o n s

. T h e d i s t r i ct co urt d en i ed Co l v i n ’ s § 2 2 5 5 m o t i on an d g ran t ed a cert i fi cat e o f

ap p eal ab i l it y o n t h e q u es t i o n wh et h er h i s u nl awfu l us e co n v i ct i o n q u al i fi ed as a

v i o l en t fel o n y

.

W h i l e h i s ap p eal was p en d i n g an d aft er t he b ri efs were fi l ed

, we ad o p t ed a n ew

s t a n d a r d

, wh i ch req u i res § 2 2 5 5 cl ai m an t s t o “ s h o w b y a p rep on d eran ce o f t h e

ev i d en ce t h at t he res i d u a l cl au s e l ed t he s en t en ci n g co u rt t o ap p l y t h e ACCA

en h an cem en t .” Go l i n veau x v

. Un i t ed St at e s , 9 1 5 F.3 d 5 6 4

, 5 6 7 (8 th Ci r. 2 0 1 9 )
(q u o ti n g W al k er v

. Un i ted St at es , 9 0 0 F.3 d 10 1 2, 1 01 5 (8 t h Ci r. 2 0 1 8 )). W h et h er a
cl ai m an t m eet s h i s bu rd en u n d er t h i s s t an d ard i s g en eral l y a fact u al q u es ti o n fo r t h e

-2

-d i s t ri ct co u rt

. Id

. To d et erm i n e wh et h er t h e s en t en ci n g co urt m o re l i k el y t h an n ot

r e l i ed o n t he res i d u al cl au s e, t h e co u rt rev i ews th e reco rd an d

, if it i s i n co n cl u s i v e ,

co n tro l l in g l aw at t h e t i m e o f s en t en ci n g. Id

. at 5 6 7 -6 8. W e m ay rev i ew co nt ro l l i n g

l aw i n t h e fi rs t i n s t an ce o n l y “ [i ] f t h e d i s t r i c t co u rt d et erm i nes th at t h e reco rd i s

i n co n cl u s i v e, or i f t h e p art i es c o n ced e t hat t h e reco rd d oes no t s h o w th at [t h e
d efen d an t ] was s e n t en ced o n th e bas i s o f t h e res i d u al cl au s e.” Lo ft on v

. Un i t ed

St at es , 9 2 0 F.3 d 5 7 2, 5 7 4 (8 t h Ci r. 2 01 9 ). An d if “ t h e sen t en ci n g co urt l i kel y rel i ed

u p o n t h e res i d u al cl au s e, b u t t h e co n vi ct i o n q u al ifi es as a v i o l en t fel o n y u nd er cu rren t

l aw, res en t en ci n g is n o t req u i red b ecau se an y erro r b y t he s en t en ci ng co urt wo u l d b e

h arm l es s .” Id . at 5 74 -7 5

.

W i t h o u t t he b en efi t o f o u r d eci s i o n s i n W al k er an d Go l i n veau x , t h e d i s t ri ct

co u rt d i d n o t d et erm i n e as a fact u al m at ter w h et h er Co l v i n s h owed b y a

p rep o n d eran ce o f t h e ev i d en ce t h at t h e s en t en ci n g co u rt rel i ed o n t h e res i d ual cl au s e

i n cl as s i fy in g hi s u n lawfu l u s e an d res i s ti n g arre s t c o n v i ct i o n s as v i o l en t fel o n i es

. Rem an d i s u n n eces sary o n Co l v i n ’ s u nl awfu l u s e c l ai m , h o wev er, b ecau s e Un i t ed

St at es v

. Swo p es , 89 2 F.3 d 9 6 1, 9 6 2 ( 8 t h C i r

. 2 01 8 ) (p er cu ri am ), es t ab l i s h es t h at

s u ch a co n v i ct i o n i s a v io l en t fel o n y un d er cu rren t law. Acco rd i n g l y , ev en if Co l v i n ’ s

s en t en ci n g co u rt rel i ed o n th e res i d u al cl au s e t o cl as s i fy t h at co nv i ct i o n as a v i o l en t

fel o n y , th e erro r i s h arm les s b ecau s e res en ten ci ng w o u l d n o t ch an g e h is ACCA

cl as s ifi cat i o n

. See Go li n v eau x , 9 1 5 F.3 d at 5 7 0 . Th e d i s t ri ct co u rt t h u s d i d n o t err
b y d en y in g rel ief o n t h e b as i s o f t h e u n l awfu l u s e co n v i ct i o n

.

Rem an d i s req u i red on Co l v in ’ s cl ai m t h at res i s ti n g arres t q ual i fi ed as a v i o l en t

fel o n y on l y u n d e r th e res id u al cl au s e, an d we ex erci se o u r au t h o ri t y t o ex p an d t h e

cert ifi cat e o f ap peal ab il i t y t o ad d res s t h is i s su e. See N o e v

. Un i t ed St at es , 6 0 1 F.3 d

-3

-78 4

, 7 9 2 (8 t h Ci r. 2 0 1 0). W e rem an d fo r a det erm in at io n wh et her t h e res i d ual cl au s e

m o r e l i k e l y t h an n o t l ed th e s en t en ci n g co u rt t o ap p l y t he ACCA en h an cem en t

. 1

Th e ju d g m en t i s affi rm ed i n p art

, rev ers ed i n p art

, an d r e m a n d ed fo r

co n si d erat io n of Co l v in ’ s res is t i n g arres t cl ai m u n d e r t h e s t an d ard s s et fo rt h in

W al k e r a n d G o l i nv eau x

. W e d ecl i n e to ex p an d t h e cert i fi cat e o f ap p eal ab i l i t y to

i n cl u d e t h e q u es ti o n w h et h er Co l v i n ’ s co n v ict i o n s were s ep arat e o ffen s es fo r ACCA

p u rp os es

.

__ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

1 W e n o t e t h at o u r d eci s i on t o v acat e th e d efen d an t ’ s sen t en ce i n Un i t ed St at es

v

. Sh o ck l ey , 8 16 F.3 d 1 0 58 (8 t h Ci r. 2 0 16 ), d i d n o t rel y o n ou r d i s cu ss i o n o f res i s t i n g

arres t “ b y u s i n g o r t h reat en i n g t h e u s e o f v i o l en ce o r p h y si cal fo rce.” Id

. at 1 0 6 3 (q u o ti n g M o. Rev

. St at

. § 5 7 5 .1 5 0 .1 (1 ))

. W e ad d i t i o n al l y n o t e t h at ou r b ri ef
d i s cu s s i o n d i d n o t i n cl ud e an an al y s i s o f rel ev an t M is s o uri cas e l aw. Id

.

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