The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its opinion in United States v. Berres on Wednesday, January 21, 2015.
Bryan Berres entered a propane company in Oklahoma and set his backpack by the front door. Berres first asked if he could call his wife, then requested employees call an ambulance to take him to the VA hospital. Employees, suspecting Berres needed psychiatric treatment, called the ambulance. Medical personnel asked Berres if he had weapons. He relinquished a knife and said he had a .38 pistol in his bag. Police were called, and when they questioned Berres about the bag, he told police it also contained a flash bang device, electric matches, 8″ leads, and squibs. The propane company was evacuated, and Berres was transported to the hospital.
While at the hospital, an ATF agent from the Drug and Violent Crime Task Force interviewed Berres about the contents of the bag. Berres was “more than willing” to talk with the agent, and relayed that the bag contained a flash bang device, a .38 pistol, about 50 feet of Class C squib, about 70 feet of red paper fuse, two pounds of black powder, and night vision goggles. Berres relayed that he was taking the items to a wooded area to “get the government out of his body.” The agent spoke with the ATF officers at the propane store and they safely opened the backpack, finding a flash bang device, two cans of black powder, six feet of cannon fuse, 36 electric matches, 60 feet of quick match fuse, a .38 pistol, nearly 300 rounds of .38 ammunition, and 30 rounds of .223 ammunition. Berres was subsequently placed on a 72-hour mental health hold by hospital personnel.
Berres was eventually charged with three counts of possession of unregistered firearms, one for the flash bang device (Count 1) and two for combinations of parts from which an explosive device can be readily assembled (Counts 2 and 3). He filed a motion to dismiss, arguing that Count 1 violated his due process rights because it was legally impossible for him to register the flash bang device, and that Counts 2 and 3 were multiplicitous. He also filed a motion to suppress the statements he made to the ATF agent at the hospital. The district court denied his motions but said that he could raise his multiplicity argument again at trial. Berres pled guilty before trial, specifically reserving his right to appeal.
On appeal, Berres argued first that his conviction on Count 1 violated his due process rights because it was legally impossible for him to register the flash bang device as a transferee; flash bang devices must be registered by the maker or transferor and the transferee must be identified as part of the registration process. The Tenth Circuit, however, found that even though Berres could not register the device, it was legally registrable, and therefore the Tenth Circuit upheld his conviction on this count.
Berres next argued that Counts 2 and 3 failed to state an offense, because there is no duty to register an explosive device until it is assembled. The Tenth Circuit disagreed. The Tenth Circuit found that the statutory language “any combination of parts” precluded Berres’ argument. Berres next argued that Counts 2 and 3 were multiplicitous, since he could only make one explosive device from the parts. However, the indictment listed each can of black powder as a single ingredient, so the combinations of black powder canisters, cannon fuse, and electric matches could have been used to make more than one explosive device. The Tenth Circuit found no double jeopardy in the two counts.
Finally, Berres argued that his statements to the agent at the hospital should have been suppressed. The Tenth Circuit examined the circumstances of the interview and found it to be non-custodial. Berres was at the hospital at his own request, he was seated by the door during the interview, and he stated he was “more than willing” to talk with the agent. The Tenth Circuit found no error in allowing Berres’ statements.
The Wyoming State Bar announced on Thursday, August 1, 2013, that fees for attorneys licensed in Wyoming will increase effective October 1, 2013. As previously reported by Legal Connection, registration fees for Colorado attorneys will increase on September 1, 2013.
The fees for the Wyoming State Bar will increase $50 for all categories. Active attorneys will now pay $355 for licensing, inactive attorneys will pay $237.50, and new attorneys will pay $242.50.
For more information, visit the Wyoming State Bar webpage.