Source: http://openjurist.org/149/f3d/1192/united-states-v-thomas
Timestamp: 2014-11-23 08:58:02
Document Index: 721683938

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 841', '§ 922', '§ 924', '§ 1291', '§ 924', '§ 924']

149 F3d 1192 United States v. Thomas | OpenJurist
149 F. 3d 1192 - United States v. Thomas	Home149 f3d 1192 united states v. thomas
149 F3d 1192 United States v. Thomas 149 F.3d 1192
98 CJ C.A.R. 2897
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff--Appellee,v.Deyon THOMAS, Defendant-Appellant.
Defendant Deyon Thomas was tried before a jury and convicted of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1); possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1); and using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1). He was sentenced to approximately 26 years in prison. Defendant now appeals his convictions and sentencing. We exercise jurisdiction under 18 U.S.C. §§ 1291 and 3742(a), and affirm.
On January 10, 1996, a Denver drug task force used Christopher Epperson, a government informant with drug charges pending against him, to make a controlled buy of cocaine base (or crack cocaine) at a suspected crack house at 3102 Columbine. When Epperson knocked and rang the doorbell, defendant Deyon Thomas opened the door, holding a gun in his left hand. Epperson testified that the weapon appeared to be a black steel .45 caliber gun.1 As Epperson entered the house, Thomas moved the gun behind his back, but Epperson did not see exactly what he did with it. The drug transaction took about ten minutes, during which time Epperson paid Thomas $240 in exchange for drugs, later confirmed to be crack cocaine. Epperson testified that Will Harper, Thomas's half-brother, also was in the room while the transaction was conducted.
Shortly after the controlled buy, officers obtained and executed a search warrant for the house. The police used a crowbar to open the screen door and a ninety-pound ram to break down the front door. The first officer to enter the residence saw Thomas move quickly out of sight. After pursuing Thomas, the officer found Thomas on his back on the floor with his hands in the air begging the officer not to shoot him. Another officer found a nine millimeter handgun on the floor near where the defendant was lying down. During the search of the house, the officers also found various caches of crack cocaine hidden about the house, as well as a scale of the sort typically used by drug dealers to measure out quantities of drugs. A search of Thomas's person revealed $1,735 in cash hidden in his socks.
Thomas and Harper were both arrested. While they were in the police car, Harper made statements to Thomas that the dope found in the house belonged to Thomas and that Harper himself was not involved. During initial questioning by officers at the scene, Thomas stated that he was house sitting for a friend and that the gun the officers found had always been there, as long as he had been there. He stated that he had been burglarized recently, that he grabbed the gun when he heard people forcibly entering the house because he thought they might be burglars, and that he then dropped it upon hearing the officers yelled "police." Upon further questioning at the police station, however, he stated that a man named Kevin had supplied him with a ticket to Denver, given him fifteen ounces of crack cocaine to sell, given him a gun and a customer list, and allowed him to use the residence at 3201 Columbine for dealing the drugs. Prior to both periods of questioning, Thomas signed forms acknowledging that he had been informed of his rights.
Thomas contests his convictions and sentencing on a variety of grounds. First, he argues that there was insufficient evidence that he used or carried a firearm during and in relation to a drug offense as required by 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1). Second, he contends that the trial court should not have allowed Harper's hearsay statement to be introduced into evidence as an excited utterance. Third, he argues that the government failed to prove the substance involved was crack cocaine, and thus he should have been sentenced for powder cocaine rather than for crack. Fourth, he claims that the sentencing guidelines regarding crack cocaine are unconstitutional. Finally, he asserts that the trial judge should have recused himself before sentencing. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm.
1. Sufficiency of the Evidence for the Section 924(c) Conviction
The defendant first argues that the evidence was insufficient to support a finding that he used or carried a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime as required by 18 U.S.C. § 924(c). We review the record de novo to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to support the jury's verdict. See, e.g., United States v. Wilson, 107 F.3d 774, 778 (10th Cir.1997). Evidence is sufficient to support a conviction if a reaso