Opinion ID: 806140
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Testimony at the Revocation Hearing

Text: At a February 2, 2012 revocation hearing, the district court found that Black’s alleged Grade C violations and his criminal history category of II yielded a guidelines range of four to ten months and that the statutory maximum was five years’ imprisonment. Black pled not guilty to the above two violations. Probation Officer John Meredith testified that Black obtained his first job at West Point Foundry, where he worked as a painter from May 23 to August 19, 2011, less than three months. Black did not notify Meredith before he quit the West Point Foundry job, but later told Meredith he left because of insufficient pay, 1 The government later dismissed a third alleged violation of failing to pay restitution. 3 Case: 12-10854 Date Filed: 08/07/2012 Page: 4 of 16 inconvenient hours and the danger from chemical exposure. When Meredith told Black to try to get his job back, Black said he had a second job at Autosport. Meredith urged Black to return to West Point Foundry because it was steady work and because Meredith had been informed Black was a good worker. Against Meredith’s advice, Black began working at Autosport on September 12 and then quit on September 29, 2011, less than three weeks later. Again, Black did not notify Meredith in advance. Black’s reason for quitting was the uncertainty of pay due to working on commission. On November 14, 2011, Black began working at Opelika Metal Fabricators. Black obtained this job through an employment agency. Black quit on December 5, 2011, less than a month later. Black did not tell Meredith before he quit this job. Black told Meredith he left because he did not like the job and the wages were low. Black told the employment agency he left because he did not like the manner in which the manager spoke to him. On December 8, 2011, Black began work at Daewon, a car manufacturing facility, and quit on December 24, 2011, less than three weeks later. Black did not inform Meredith before he quit this job. Meredith found out that Black was not working through another probation officer. Black told Meredith he quit because “he refused to work with illegal Mexicans doing slave labor in an Asian 4 Case: 12-10854 Date Filed: 08/07/2012 Page: 5 of 16 sweatshop.” When Meredith reminded Black that steady, lawful employment was a condition of his release, Black shouted that Meredith “better not threaten [him] about getting a job,” and that the release conditions were “bullshit.” Black also said that “if the government could afford to keep him locked up, then take him to jail.” Meredith testified that he spoke with the employment agency through which Black gained the Daewon job and learned that Black had given them a two-week notice that he intended to quit. On January 5, 2012, Meredith met with Black in person to discuss the violations. Meredith told Black that, rather than pursue revocation, he would try a “graduated sanctions” option that would place Black in a federal halfway house for six months. Black responded that he would not go to a halfway house. Black again stated that if the government could afford to house him, it should take him to jail. After the meeting concluded, Meredith escorted Black out of his office and into the lobby, where Black’s parents waited. Meredith heard Black tell his parents that Meredith was “an asshole.” Meredith recommended that the district court revoke Black’s supervised release and sentence him to serve an additional 24 months in prison with no supervised release to follow. Meredith explained that he did not believe Black was amenable to supervision due to his conduct while on supervised release and 5 Case: 12-10854 Date Filed: 08/07/2012 Page: 6 of 16 his poor record with the Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”). While in BOP custody, Black was cited for, or disciplined for, threatening bodily harm, refusing to work, being absent from assignment, assault without serious injury and being insolent to a staff member. Meredith further testified that his contact with Black had become increasingly confrontational. Black’s mother told Meredith that Black had no respect for law enforcement or any authority figure. Meredith recommended a 24month sentence because of Black’s refusal to be placed in a halfway house, which demonstrated he was not amenable to supervision and because Black received a downward departure at sentencing. Dennis Anglin, Black’s supervisor at Daewon, testified that Black worked on a production machine, which required standing, bending and lifting and that Black was a good employee. Black gave notice that he would be leaving the job due to lower back problems. Black’s mother, Murriel Black, testified that she and her husband were in poor health and that Black helped them around their farm. Mrs. Black also confirmed that Black has a back problem and explained that Black used a tractor to lift things when working on their farm. Black testified that he was a trained and certified automotive collision repair specialist. Black applied to all the body shops in his area, but could not obtain a 6 Case: 12-10854 Date Filed: 08/07/2012 Page: 7 of 16 position with any of them. Black was promoted to supervisor while at West Point Foundry, but left because of environmental dangers, including chemical exposure, that higher management refused to address. Black called to tell Meredith he was leaving West Point Foundry, but Meredith never called him back. Black said he worked at Autosport as a subcontractor and left because they would not offer him a full-time position, which his supervised release required. Black then worked for Opelika Manufacturing. Black reported to the employment agency that he was being exposed to chemicals there, and the agency told him not to go back. Three days later, Black began working at Daewon, but quit because the work was too physically demanding for his back problems. Black was diagnosed by BOP doctors with degenerative disc disease and two bulging and misaligned vertebrae. Black said that he had received an offer to begin working at a collision center on February 6, 2012, four days after the revocation hearing. Black said that Meredith’s instructions to return to his job at Daewon frustrated him because he felt that Meredith would be happy only if Black worked at a job that caused him physical pain. Black explained that he becomes frustrated when someone is condescending and difficult “because they feel like they’re in a position where they can impose their will and they don’t have to give.” Black felt that Meredith did not want Black to better himself or rebuild his life financially 7 Case: 12-10854 Date Filed: 08/07/2012 Page: 8 of 16 and just wanted Black to get a temporary job. Black admitted that he has “some anger issues sometimes” and that he was combative with Meredith at the January 5 meeting because he felt Meredith was ignoring Black’s best interests and trying to hold Black down. When Black was asked whether he would do something Meredith told him to do even though Black did not want to do it, Black responded, “I’m going to do the right thing. I’m going to -- I mean if he’s being unreasonable how can I? But I mean I -- I try to do everything that I’m expected to do.”