Opinion ID: 3032530
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The offense-level enhancements

Text: At sentencing, the district court determined that Long Turkey should receive a two-level serious-bodily-injury enhancement under § 2A3.1(b)(4)(B) for the physical harm he inflicted on Flute and a two-level victim-restraint enhancement under § 3A1.3 for holding her down. Long Turkey challenges each enhancement. We begin with the § 2A3.1(b)(4)(B) enhancement, reviewing for clear error the district court's determination that Flute suffered serious bodily injury. See United States v. Evans, 285 F.3d 664, 673 (8th Cir. 2002) (standard of review), cert. denied, 123 S. Ct. 1257 (2003). 'Serious bodily injury' means injury involving extreme physical pain or the protracted impairment of a function of a bodily member, organ, or mental faculty; or requiring medical intervention such as surgery, hospitalization, or physical rehabilitation. USSG § 1B1.1, comment. (n.1(i)). When the crime is sexual abuse, however, 'serious bodily injury' means conduct other than criminal sexual abuse, which already is taken into account in the base offense level. USSG § 2A3.1, comment. (n.1). This does not mean that any injuries resulting from an episode of criminal sexual abuse are excluded--only that the act of sexual abuse is insufficient by itself to support a § 2A3.1(b)(4)(B) enhancement. See United States v. Guy, 282 F.3d 991, 996-97 (8th Cir. 2002). 3 The undisputed facts showed that Flute suffered a rectal laceration which needed to be repaired at the hospital, that she compared the pain of having Long Turkey's fist in her vagina to the pain of giving birth, that her scalp was bruised by him restraining her by her hair, and that she was hospitalized overnight. We find no clear error in the district court's determination that these injuries, separately or together, constitute serious bodily injury. Flute's description of the agony she experienced when Long Turkey forced his hand into her vagina qualifies as extreme physical pain within the meaning of § 1B1.1, comment. (n.1(i)). Her overnight hospitalization qualifies as medical intervention within the meaning of that application note. Flute's rectal laceration is akin to types of serious bodily injury we have recognized in aggravated sexual abuse cases. See United States v. Kills in Water, 293 F.3d 432, 436 (8th Cir. 2002) (vaginal and perineal trauma); United States v. Bruguier, 161 F.3d 1145, 1148, 1153 (8th Cir. 1998) (tear to perineum). Next, we turn to the § 3A1.3 enhancement. We review de novo whether the district court engaged in impermissible double counting. See United States v. Thin Elk, 321 F.3d 704, 707 (8th Cir. 2003) (standard of review). The enhancement would be prohibited if victim restraint was an element of aggravated sexual abuse or if victim restraint was incorporated into the offense Guideline. See USSG § 3A1.3, comment. (n.2). Victim restraint is not an element of aggravated sexual abuse, however, see 18 U.S.C. § 2241(a), and victim restraint is not taken into account by the use-of-force enhancement in the sexual abuse Guideline, see United States v. Alcoren, 929 F.2d 1235, 1247-48 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 502 U.S. 913 (1991). The only question, then, is whether the district court wrongfully applied the enhancement based on Long Turkey's conduct of holding Flute down by her arms and hair and pinning her beneath him during intercourse. We see no error of fact or law. See United States v. Waugh, 207 F.3d 1098, 1101 (8th Cir. 2000) (locking doors and pinning victim down with her arms behind her back constituted victim restraint); Alcoren, 929 F.2d at 1246 (placing hand on victim's throat to make her lie on bed, 4 and repeatedly pushing and grabbing victim to prevent her from leaving bedroom, constituted victim restraint).