# 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 7- 13 51

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ 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.

Diam on d Lar on e Tho m

ps on

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 Ark an sa s - Li tt le Ro ck

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Su bm it te d: Jan ua ry

10 , 20 18 Fil ed : M ay

8, 2 01 8 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re LOKEN, BEAM, and KELLY , Cir cu it Ju dg es

.

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PER CURI AM.

Diam on d Laro ne Tho m

ps on pl ead ed gu il ty to be in g a fel on in po ss es si on of a fir earm in vi ol at io n of 18 U.S.C. § 92 2( g) (1 ). Th e di st ric t co ur t de te rm in ed th at 1

The Hon or ab le J. Leo n Ho lm es , Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t J ud ge for th e Eas te rn 1 Dis tri ct of Ark an sa s.Tho m

ps on ha s fo ur pr io r vi ol en t fel on y co nv ic ti on s an d se nt en ced hi m to 18 0 m on th s in pr is on , th e m an da to ry m in im um se nt en ce un de r th e Arm ed Care er Cri m in al Act (ACCA), 18 U.S

. C

. § 92 4( e)(1 ). Tho m ps on ap pe al s, arg ui ng th at hi s th ree pr io r Ark an sa s co nv ic ti on s fo r se co nd de gr ee ba tt ery an d on e fo r ag gr av at ed ro bb ery were

no t vi ol en t fel on ie s un de r th e ACCA’s fo rce cl au se , § 92 4( e)(2 )(B) (i)

. W e co nc lu de th e se co nd de gr ee b at te ry co nv ic ti on s wer e v io le nt fel on ie s an d t he refo re af fir m

.

In de te rm in in g whe th er Tho m ps on ’s pr io r co nv ic ti on s were vi ol en t fel on y

co nv ic ti on s fo r ACCA pu rp os es , we ap pl y a c a t e g o ric al ap pr oa ch th at lo ok s to th e el em en ts of t h e o f

fen se as de fin ed in th e st at ut e, rat he r th an to th e fact s un de rlyin g each co nv ic ti on

. At se nt en ci ng , th e go ve rn m en t in tro du c e d s t at e co ur t reco rd s

es ta bl is hi ng th at Tho m

ps on ’s th ree s e c o n d de gr ee ba tt ery co nv ic ti on s were fo r vi ol at io ns of Ark . Cod e Ann . §§ 5-1 3- 20 2( a)(1 ), (2 ), an d (4 )(A)(i ):

(a) A p ers on co m

m it s b at te ry

in th e se co nd de gr ee i f: (1 ) W it h th e pu rp os e of cau si ng ph y si cal in jury to an ot he r pe rs on , th e p ers on cau se s s eri ou s p hysic al in jury to an ot he r pe rs on ; (2 ) W it h th e pu rp os e of cau si ng ph y si cal in jury to an ot he r pe rs on , th e pe rs on cau se s ph y si cal in jury to an ot he r pe rs on by m ean s of a de ad ly weap on ot he r th an a fi rear m ; * * * * * (4 ) The pe rs on kn owi ng ly, w i t h o ut le ga l jus ti fic at io n, cau se s ph y si cal in

jury to o r in cap aci ta te s a p ers on he or s he kn ows to be : (A)(i ) A la w en fo rcem en t of fic er

. . . or e mp lo y ee of a
co rrec ti on al faci li ty whi le th e la w en fo rc e men t o f fic er

. . . or
em pl oyee of a co rrec ti on al faci li ty is ac ti ng in th e li ne of d ut y

.

In Un i t e d S t at es v. Ri ce, we he ld th at a co nv ic ti on fo r vi ol at in g § 5- 13

- 20 2( a)(4 ) is
, cat eg or ic al ly, an of fen se th at “ ha s as an el em en t th e us e, at te m pt ed us e,

or th reat en ed us e of ph y si cal fo rce ag ai ns t th e pe rs on of an ot he r,” th e op erat iv e fo rce cl au se st an da rd in 1 8 U

. S .C. § 92 4( e)(2 )(B) (i)

. 81 3 F.3 d 70 4. 70 6 (8 th Ci r.), cert

. d e n i e d
, 13 7 S. Ct

. 59 (2 01 6)

. W e ex pl ai ne d th at a § 5- 13 -2 02 (a)( 4) co nv ic t i o n

-2

-in cl ud es th e us e of vi ol en t fo rce as an el em en t “ ‘sin ce it is im po ss ib le to cau se bo di ly in jury wit ho ut us in g fo rce ‘cap ab le of ’ pr od uc in g th at res ul t.’” Id ., q uo ti ng Uni te d St at es v. Cas t l e man , 13 4 S. Ct

. 14 05
, 14 16 -1 7 (2 01 4) (Sca li a, J., co nc ur rin g)

. Lik ewis e, in Uni te d St at es v. Tho m as , 83 8 F

. 3 d 92 6, 92 9- 30 (8 th Ci r. 20 16 ), cert

. de ni ed , 1 37 S. Ct . 8 40 (20 17 ), we co nc lu de d th at fir st de gr ee ba tt ery u nd er § 5- 13

- 20 1( a)(1 ) cat eg or ic al ly m eet s th e fo rce cl au se st an da rd

. A n d i n U ni te d St at es v. W in st on , 84 5 F.3 d 87 6, 87 8 (8 th Ci r.), cert

. de ni ed
, 13 7 S. Ct

. 22 01 (2 01 7)
, we he ld th at a se co nd de gr ee ba tt ery co nv ic ti on un de r § 5- 13 -2 02 (a)( 2) fo r pu rp os el y cau si ng ph y si cal in

jury to a pe rs on by m ean s of a de ad ly weap on ot he r th an a fir earm was , cat eg or ic al ly, a vi ol en t fel on y un de r t h e A CCA’s fo rce cl au se , reject in g th e

co nt en ti on th at “ a d e f

e n d an t m ig ht cau se ph y si cal in jury wit ho ut us in g ph y si cal fo rce.”

On ap pe al
, ci ti ng cas es fro m ot he r ci rcu it s, Tho m ps on arg ue s th at th es e cas es

were w r o n g ly de ci de d be cau se pu rp os efu ll y ca us in g ph y si cal in jury do es no t

ne ces sa ril y req ui re th e us e or th reat en ed us e of vi ol en t f o r c e to co m

m it th e cri m e. Howev er, Tho m

ps on h a s n o t ci te d an y Ark an sa s cas e in whi ch th e de fen da nt was ch arg ed wit h vi ol at in g § 5- 13 -2 02 (a)( 1)
, (2 ), or (4 ) bu t di d no t us e, at te m pt to us e, or th reat en to us e v io le nt for ce. “ Befo re we co nc lu de th at a st at e st at ut e swe ep s m or e b r o a d l y t ha n th e fed eral de fin it io n of vi ol en t fel on y , th ere m us t be a real is ti c
pr ob ab il it y , no t a th eo ret ic al po ss ib il it y , th at th e st a t u te en co m pa ss es co nd uc t th at do es n o t i n v o l v e us e or th reat en ed us e of vi ol en t fo rce.” Uni te d St at es v. Swo pe s, 88 6 F.3 d 66 8, 67 1 (8 th Ci r. 20 18 ) (en ba nc ) (q uo ta ti on om it te d)

. Acco rd in gl y , Ri ce, Tho m as , a nd W in st on are co nt ro ll in g pr eced en t th at ou r pa ne l is ob li ge d to fo ll ow. As th ree pr io r v i o l e nt fel on y co nv ic ti on s su bjec t Tho m ps on to th e ACCA’s

m an da to ry

m in im um 18 0- m on th sen te nc e, we ne ed no t co ns id er wh et he r hi s fo ur th

co nv ic ti on fo r ag

gr av at ed ro bb ery in vi ol at io n of Ark

. Co de Ann

. 5- 12 -1 03 was al so

a vi ol en t fel on y

. Cf. Uni te d St at e s v. Easo n, 82 9 F.3 d 63 3, 64 0- 42 (8 th Ci r. 20 16 )

-3

-(ro bb ery co nv ic ti on un de r § 5- 12 -1 02 is no t, cat eg or ic al ly, a vi ol en t fel on y be cau se

Ark an sa s ap pe ll at e co ur ts ha ve no t re qu ire d t hr eat or u se of v io le nt for ce).

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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