# 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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__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ 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.

Ja m al Lewis

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 Weste rn Dis tri ct of M is so ur i - Sp rin gf ie ld

__ __ __ __ __ __ Su bm it te d: Sep te m

be r 4, 2 01 3 Fil ed : Se pt em

be r 16 , 20 13 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re SM ITH, BOW MAN, an d S HEPHERD, Circ ui t J ud ge s.

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PER CURI AM.

Sh or tl y be fo re Ja m al Lewis co m pl et ed t h e p r i s o n te rm he was se rv in g as a

res ul t of hi s co nv ic ti on fo r be in g a fel o n in po ss es si on , th e go ve rn m en t fil ed a pe ti ti on to de te rm in e hi s m en ta l st at us un de r 18 U.S.C. § 42 46

. The pe ti ti on al le ge d th ere was reas on ab le cau se to be li ev e th at Lewis was su ffer in g fro m a m en ta l di se as e

or de fect a s a r e s u l t of whi ch hi s rel eas e wou ld po se a su bs ta nt ia l ris k of in jury toan ot he r or se rio us da m ag e to th e pr op ert y of an ot h e r

. A f t e r a he ari ng , th e Dis tri ct Co ur t co m

m it te d Lewis to th e cu st od y of th e Att or ne y Gen eral f or hospitalization and 1

treatm ent of his m ental condition in a suitable f acility

. See Uni te d St at es v. W il li am s, 29 9 F.3 d 6 73 , 67 6 (8 th Cir . 20 02 ) (n ot in g t ha t in or de r to jus ti fy an in di vi du al ’s § 42 46

co m m it m en t, the go ve rn m en t m us t pro ve by cl ear and co nv in ci ng ev id en ce tha t th e de fen da n t h a s a m en ta l di se as e or de fect th at wou ld res ul t in a su bs ta nt ia l ris k of da ng ero us ne ss to ot he rs if h e is rel eas ed ). Lewis ap pe al s.

W e ha ve rev ie wed th e arg um en ts in Lewis ’s co un se le d and pr o se bri efs , an d

we co nc lu de th at th e Dis tri ct Co ur t’s fin di ng s in su pp or t of th e co m m it m en t or de r are

no t cl earl y erro ne ou s. In rel ev an t pa rt, th e ev id en ce sh owe d t h at m en ta l he al th

e x pe rts were of th e un an im ou s op in io n th at Lewis ’s un co nd it io na l rel eas e w o u l d
pr es en t a su bs ta nt ia l ris k to ot he rs be cau se th e sym pt om s of hi s se rio us an d chr on ic

sc hi zo phr enia were co nt ro ll ed on ly wit h ps y ch ot ro pi c m ed ic at io n th at he pe rio di cal ly fai le d to ta ke

. See id

. (ex pl ai ni ng th at a fact ua l f i n d i n g is cl earl y erro ne ou s if th e

rev ie win g co ur t is le ft wit h a de fin it e an d fir m co nv ic ti on th at a m is ta ke ha s be en

m ad e).

Acco rd in gl y , we affi rm

. W e al so gr an t co un se l’s m ot io n to wit hd raw, su bjec t
to co un se l in fo rm in g Lewis ab ou t pr oc ed ur es fo r se ek in g reh eari ng or fil in g a pr o se pe ti ti on for cert io rari

.

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1The la te Ho no rab le Ri ch ard E. Dor r, Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r th e W es te rn Dis tri ct of Mi ss ou ri, ad op ti ng th e rep or t an d reco mm e n d a t i on s of th e Hon or ab le Ja m es C. Eng la nd , Uni te d St at es Mag is tra te Ju dg e fo r th e W es te rn Dis tri ct of Mi ss ou ri.

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