Case Name: UNITED STATES of America Plaintiff-Appellee v. Randel BRANSCUM Defendant-Appellant
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 2017-07-12
Citations: 692 F. App'x 801
Docket Number: No. 16-4430
Parties: UNITED STATES of America Plaintiff-Appellee v. Randel BRANSCUM Defendant-Appellant
Judges: Before BENTON, BOWMAN, and SHEPHERD, Circuit Judges.
Reporter: West's Federal Appendix
Volume: 692
Pages: 801–802

Head Matter:
UNITED STATES of America Plaintiff-Appellee v. Randel BRANSCUM Defendant-Appellant
No. 16-4430
United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit.
Submitted: July 3, 2017
Filed: July 12, 2017
Thomas Chandler, Trial Attorney, Elizabeth Hecker, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Washington, DC, Gabriel A. Davis, Samantha Trepel, U.S. De partment of Justice, Appellate Section, Washington, DC, Julie Peters, Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, Little Rock, AR, for Plaintiff-Appellee
Randel Branscum, Pro Se
Before BENTON, BOWMAN, and SHEPHERD, Circuit Judges.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
Randel Branscum appeals after he pleaded guilty with a written plea agreement to a civil rights offense and the District Court imposed the agreed-upon sentence. Branscum's counsel has moved for leave to withdraw and has filed a brief under Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 87 S.Ct. 1396, 18 L.Ed.2d 493 (1967), questioning whether Branscum received effective assistance of counsel.
We decline to address the ineffective-assistance claim on direct appeal. See United States v. Ramirez-Hernandez, 449 F.3d 824, 826-27 (8th Cir. 2006) (noting that ineffective-assistance claims' "are usually best litigated in collateral proceedings" where the record can be properly developed). We have reviewed the record under Penson v. Ohio, 488 U.S. 75, 80, 109 S.Ct. 346, 102 L.Ed.2d 300 (1988), and we have found no non-frivolous issues for appeal. We affirm the judgment, and we grant counsel's motion for leave to withdraw.
. The Honorable Brian S. Miller, Chief Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas,