United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 02-2746

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the 

* Eastern District of Missouri.

Kenneth L. Harris, *

*

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: December 10, 2002

Filed: April 8, 2003

___________

Before BOWMAN, MORRIS SHEPPARD ARNOLD, and RILEY, Circuit Judges.

___________

BOWMAN, Circuit Judge.

In 1985, Kenneth L. Harris was convicted in Missouri state court of a number

of violent felonies committed on three separate occasions in July 1983 and was

sentenced to thirty-five years in prison. He was paroled in 1995 and, in January 2000,

while still on parole, he was arrested for, and later convicted of, being a felon in

possession of a firearm and possessing cocaine base. See 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), 21

U.S.C. § 844 (2000). Because he was still on parole from his state sentence when he
1

The Honorable Catherine D. Perry, United States District Judge for the Eastern

District of Missouri.

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committed these federal crimes, the District Court1

 applied United States Sentencing

Guidelines (U.S.S.G.) § 5G1.3(c) (2000) and ordered that his federal sentence run

consecutively to his state sentence, the effect of which is that he will serve a total

term of imprisonment of nearly thirty-four years (the eighteen years remaining on his

state conviction plus 188 months in federal prison). On appeal, Harris urges that the

District Court erred when it made this determination, when it denied his motion to

suppress, and when it committed several other errors. We affirm. 

I.

We review the District Court's application of the sentencing guidelines

de novo. United States v. Smith, 282 F.3d 1045, 1047 (8th Cir. 2002). Harris

concedes that the law in this Circuit on concurrent versus consecutive sentences

under § 5G1.3 does not support his appeal. We agree. The District Court was

required to apply either § 5G1.3(a) or § 5G1.3(c), both of which require that Harris

serve consecutive state and federal sentences.

The parties agree that § 5G1.3, which deals with defendants who are subject

to undischarged terms of imprisonment, governs this case, but they disagree as to

which of its subsections applies to Harris. The government believes that § 5G1.3(a)

applies, but that if it does not, § 5G1.3(c) applies and requires the sentencing court

to order consecutive sentences. In contrast, Harris urges that § 5G1.3(b) applies, but

that if it does not, § 5G1.3(c) applies and leaves the court with discretion to order

concurrent or consecutive sentences. For its part, the District Court held that

§ 5G1.3(c) applies and required it to order consecutive sentences. 

The relevant provisions of § 5G1.3 provide that:
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(a) If the instant offense was committed while the defendant was serving

a term of imprisonment (including work release, furlough, or escape

status) or after sentencing for, but before commencing service of, such

term of imprisonment, the sentence for the instant offense shall be

imposed to run consecutively to the undischarged term of imprisonment.

(b) If subsection (a) does not apply, and the undischarged term of

imprisonment resulted from offense(s) that have been fully taken into

account in the determination of the offense level for the instant offense,

the sentence for the instant offense shall be imposed to run concurrently

to the undischarged term of imprisonment.

(c) (Policy Statement) In any other case, the sentence for the instant

offense may be imposed to run concurrently, partially concurrently, or

consecutively to the prior undischarged term of imprisonment to achieve

a reasonable punishment for the instant offense.

U.S.S.G. § 5G1.3. Application Note Six governs § 5G1.3(c) and provides that:

If the defendant was on federal or state probation, parole, or supervised

release at the time of the instant offense, and has had such probation,

parole, or supervised release revoked, the sentence for the instant

offense should be imposed to run consecutively to the term imposed for

the violation of probation, parole, or supervised release . . . .

U.S.S.G. § 5G1.3, cmt. n.6.

Because Harris was on parole from his 1985 felony convictions when he

committed these federal felonies, the application of either § 5G1.3(a), see United

States v. Jones, 195 F.3d 379, 383 (8th Cir. 1999) ("Because [the defendant]

committed part of the federal . . . offense while on parole for the state offense,

§ 5G1.3(a) applies, and § 5G1.3(b) does not."); United States v. Murphy, 69 F.3d 237,

245 (8th Cir. 1995) (applying § 5G1.3(a) to defendant on parole when instant federal

crimes were committed because Missouri parolees are still in state's legal custody, see
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Mo. Rev. Stat. § 217.690.2 (2000), and therefore parole is a "term of imprisonment"

within the meaning of § 5G1.3(a)), cert. denied, 516 U.S. 1153 (1996), or § 5G1.3(c),

see Smith, 282 F.3d at 1047-48 (holding that Application Note Six's language is

mandatory and therefore § 5G1.3(c) requires consecutive state and federal sentences

for defendants who commit federal crimes while on parole), would result in

consecutive state and federal sentences. Because in this Circuit either § 5G1.3(a) or

§ 5G1.3(c) could have been applied, the District Court did not err in its application

of § 5G1.3(c).

Section § 5G1.3(b), urged by Harris as dispositive of his case, is inapplicable

to this case. It applies only when the prior "term of imprisonment resulted from

offense(s) that have been fully taken into account in the determination of the offense

level for the instant offense." U.S.S.G. § 5G1.3(b). Section 5G1.3(b)'s requirement

that the prior term of imprisonment be "fully taken into account" is a stringent one

and has only a narrow reach. See United States v. Swan, 275 F.3d 272, 277 (3d Cir.

2001) ("Section 5G1.3(b) appears to be aimed at the situation in which, unless the

sentences were concurrent, the defendant would be serving two sentences for

essentially the identical offense."). Thus, in United States v. Terry, 305 F.3d 818,

824-26 (8th Cir. 2002), we determined that a defendant was properly sentenced to

serve his federal sentence consecutively to his state sentences "because the state and

federal offenses [were] distinct and separate wrongs." Id. at 826. In Terry, the

defendant's federal and state convictions were closely linked, but were still not "fully

taken into account" within the meaning of § 5G1.3(b) even though his state

convictions were for child sexual abuse and rape and his federal convictions were for

the production of child pornography (i.e., the videotaping of his child sexual abuse

and rape acts). Id. at 824-26; see also U.S.S.G. § 5G1.3, cmt. n.2 (explaining that a

federal drug defendant sentenced based on his or her possession of thirty grams of

cocaine should be given credit for time already served as part of any state conviction

for possession of all or part of the same cocaine). In sum, § 5G1.3(b) can apply only

when a defendant has been sentenced in state or federal court for the same criminal
2

We pause to note the irony in the fact that Harris withdrew from a plea

agreement in which the government stipulated to concurrent state and federal

sentences on lesser charges. Appellant's App. at 19-20. During the hearing on his

motion to withdraw his guilty plea, Harris acknowledged the chance he was taking

by withdrawing from the plea agreement and, while proclaiming his innocence, stated

"I know that if Judge Perry decides to let me withdraw my plea, I know that if I lose

on a new trial, I could probably get 30 years . . . ." December 13, 2001, Hearing

Transcript at 27-28. Harris was questioned on the issue of concurrent versus

consecutive sentences that he now raises in this appeal and his attorney asked him

whether he understood that under the original (and later superseding) indictment he

was (and would be again) charged and sentenced as an armed career criminal and thus

he was risking lengthy consecutive sentences. 

Q: [by counsel] [A]bsent the plea agreement, it appears that the

sentence imposed for this case, the federal case, should be served

consecutively to the defendant's undischarged state term of

imprisonment pursuant to the provisions of Section 5G1.3, so not only

does the original indictment contain an offense which has been

calculated to have a guideline range of 262 to 327 months . . . but that

sentence could be imposed consecutively. Do you understand that? . . .

The present stipulation provides for a maximum of 120 months. Do you

understand that? 

A: [by Harris] Yes.

Q: And the term to run concurrently at the same time as the state

sentence, do you understand that also?

A: Yes.

Q: Now understanding all that, and besides that, you and I had this

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conduct or for criminal conduct necessarily included in the later federal charges. Cf.

Witte v. United States, 515 U.S. 389, 404 (1995). Harris's argument that § 5G1.3(b)

applies to him is foreclosed by our decision in Terry and is untenable in any event

because, if accepted, it would establish a rule that would give state parolees a free

pass on any federal crimes committed while on parole if the federal sentences did not

exceed the length of the parolee's remaining state sentences, a result we are confident

the sentencing guidelines do not sanction.2
conversation, correct?

A: Yes.

Q: And you know my feelings on this subject, do you not?

A: Yes.

Q: Those provisions in the presentence agreement notwithstanding, you

still wish to request that Judge Perry withdraw -- allow you to withdraw

your plea of guilty and you wish to proceed to trial on the original

indictment, is that correct?

A: Yes.

Id. at 28-29.

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II.

Harris next urges that the District Court erred when it declined to suppress the

evidence found in his home because the search was conducted at night, without a

showing of necessity, and therefore violated the Fourth Amendment. We disagree.

We review a district court's findings of fact for clear error and its conclusions of law

regarding its denial of a motion to suppress de novo. United States v. Booker, 269

F.3d 930, 931 (8th Cir. 2001), cert. denied, 123 S. Ct. 936 (2003). The District Court

properly held that Harris failed to demonstrate that the nighttime search of his home

was unreasonable. See, e.g., United States v. Berry, 113 F.3d 121, 123 (8th Cir.

1997). Moreover, even if Harris were to have shown that the search was

unreasonable, a court does not automatically suppress evidence gathered pursuant to

a warrant, but instead considers whether the defendant was prejudiced or whether

there was a reckless disregard of applicable procedure, both of which are absent here.

See Berry, 113 F.3d at 123. Finally, even had Harris shown prejudice or a reckless

disregard of procedures, an invalid warrant does not compel suppression of the

evidence if the police officers acted based on a good-faith belief in the validity of the

warrant, as they did here. See United States v. Leon, 468 U.S. 897, 922 (1984).
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In this case, St. Louis police conducted surveillance on Harris's home for

several days (including the day of the search) during daytime hours and at night.

Based on this surveillance and based on information from a confidential informant,

the officers concluded that Harris was likely dealing crack cocaine and heroin. On

the day of the search, the officers sought a search warrant from a state circuit judge,

who issued a warrant at approximately 7:45 p.m. The warrant provided that the

search should be conducted "within 10 days after the issuance of this warrant by day

or night." January 5, 2000, Search Warrant. The officers executed the warrant later

that evening at approximately 10:00 p.m. after additional support arrived. In these

circumstances, the District Court did not err when it ruled that the search did not

violate the Fourth Amendment merely because it occurred at night. See Berry, 113

F.3d at 123 (8th Cir. 1997) (concluding that nighttime search was reasonable and that

officer who sought warrant during the night was unlikely to wait until the next

morning or another day).

III.

Harris's remaining claims are meritless and, in fact, were not certified as nonfrivolous by his attorney. Brief of Appellant at 46. We will dispose of them

summarily. First, the District Court did not abuse its discretion when it admitted

testimony by a visitor to Harris's home that she saw him possess a firearm prior to his

arrest. See United States v. Ballew, 40 F.3d 936, 941 (8th Cir. 1994) (standard of

review), cert. denied, 514 U.S. 1091 (1995). This testimony was admissible to prove

motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of

mistake or accident. See Fed. R. Evid. 404(b). Moreover, the District Court's

limiting instruction properly cured whatever unfair prejudice this evidence could have

produced. Trial Tr., Vol. III at 118. Second, it is clear beyond peradventure that it

does not violate the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual

punishment to enhance a convicted violent felon's sentence pursuant to 18 U.S.C.

§ 924(e)'s armed-career-criminal provision. See, e.g., United States v. Yirkovsky,
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259 F.3d 704, 706 (8th Cir. 2001), cert. denied, 122 S. Ct. 2674 (2002). Nor is there

any question that Harris was previously convicted of three violent felonies. See State

v. Harris, 705 S.W.2d 544 (Mo. Ct. App. 1986). Finally, the District Court did not

err when it gave Instruction 12, which accurately stated the elements of the felon-inpossession offense and clearly informed the jury that they had to agree unanimously

that the defendant possessed at least one of the firearms named in the indictment.

Appellant's App. at 35-36. Harris failed to object to this jury instruction at trial and

our review is for plain error, of which we find none. See United States v. McNeil,

184 F.3d 770, 777 (8th Cir. 1999) (standard of review); United States v. Jorgenson,

144 F.3d 550, 559-60 (8th Cir. 1998) (noting that jury instruction that accurately

states relevant law is not erroneous). 

IV.

The judgment of the District Court is affirmed.

A true copy.

Attest:

CLERK, U.S. COURT OF APPEALS, EIGHTH CIRCUIT.