Opinion ID: 5270674
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Criminal Activity and Arrest

Text: Appellant Edward B. Burgess had a domestic dispute with Titierra Howard, his girlfriend, on December 7, 2018. Burgess left their shared apartment but continued to text Howard, threatening to kill her and burn down the apartment. Later that night, Burgess set a fire that destroyed the building and all of Howard’s and her children’s belongings (including those of Burgess’s son with Howard), rendering them homeless. Fortunately, neither Howard nor her children were harmed. Burgess fled and eluded law enforcement for a little over four months, during which he committed another crime. On April 15, 2019, Burgess walked into a Metro PCS store and instructed the clerk to open the register. When the clerk refused, Burgess displayed a semi-automatic handgun, told the clerk he was not “playing,” and advised the clerk not to “do anything.” The clerk opened the register and Burgess stole $650. At this point, Burgess’s luck ran out. The Metro PCS he robbed had a security camera which allowed a citizen to identify Burgess and tip off the Milwaukee Police DepartNo. 20-2940 3 ment (“MPD”). On April 19, 2019, executing an arrest warrant based on the citizen tip, MPD arrested Burgess at his sister’s house and recovered a handgun and the clothing Burgess wore during the Metro PCS robbery. The government indicted Burgess on four counts arising out of the December 7, 2018, arson and the April 15, 2019, robbery: arson (Count I), being a felon in possession of a firearm (Count II), Hobbs Act robbery 1 (Count III), and use of a firearm during a robbery (Count IV). Soon after arresting Burgess, the government moved for an emergency no-contact order between Burgess and Howard. The government presented evidence Burgess had contacted Howard extensively while in custody, discouraging her from cooperating with law enforcement and encouraging her to change her account of the events on December 7, 2018. A magistrate judge granted the government’s motion and entered a no-contact order on May 14, 2019. Despite numerous reminders to abide by the order, Burgess consistently and repeatedly contacted Howard.