Filed: Oct. 16, 2018
Latest Update: Mar. 03, 2020
Summary: UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 17-7492 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Petitioner - Appellee, v. DALTONIA DUNCAN, Respondent - Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, at Raleigh. W. Earl Britt, Senior District Judge. (5:17-hc-02135-BR) Submitted: September 27, 2018 Decided: October 16, 2018 Before KING and KEENAN, Circuit Judges, and TRAXLER, Senior Circuit Judge. Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opini
Summary: UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 17-7492 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Petitioner - Appellee, v. DALTONIA DUNCAN, Respondent - Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, at Raleigh. W. Earl Britt, Senior District Judge. (5:17-hc-02135-BR) Submitted: September 27, 2018 Decided: October 16, 2018 Before KING and KEENAN, Circuit Judges, and TRAXLER, Senior Circuit Judge. Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinio..
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UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 17-7492
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Petitioner - Appellee,
v.
DALTONIA DUNCAN,
Respondent - Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, at
Raleigh. W. Earl Britt, Senior District Judge. (5:17-hc-02135-BR)
Submitted: September 27, 2018 Decided: October 16, 2018
Before KING and KEENAN, Circuit Judges, and TRAXLER, Senior Circuit Judge.
Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
Louis C. Allen, Acting Federal Public Defender, Greensboro, North Carolina, Jennifer C.
Leisten, Research & Writing Attorney, OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL PUBLIC
DEFENDER, Raleigh, North Carolina, for Appellant. Robert J. Higdon, Jr., United
States Attorney, Joshua B. Royster, Chief, Civil Division, Genna D. Petre, Special
Assistant United States Attorney, OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY,
Raleigh, North Carolina, for Appellee.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM:
Daltonia Duncan appeals the district court’s order committing him to the custody
of the Attorney General pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 4246 (2012). On appeal, Duncan argues
that the district court erred by not finding that suitable arrangements for state custody and
care were unavailable. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.
Because Duncan did not raise this issue below, we review only for plain error. See
United States v. Heyer,
740 F.3d 284, 289 (4th Cir. 2014). To establish plain error,
Duncan must demonstrate “(1) that the district court erred, (2) that the error was plain,
and (3) that the error affected his substantial rights.” United States v. Cohen,
888 F.3d
667, 685 (4th Cir. 2018). Even if Duncan satisfies these requirements, we should not
notice the error unless it “seriously affects the fairness, integrity or public reputation of
judicial proceedings.”
Id. (citation and internal quotation marks omitted).
Before civilly committing a defendant under § 4246, the district court “must
determine that there is no available state facility to house the defendant; the defendant
must be given notice; and a hearing must be held to determine by clear and convincing
evidence if the defendant is dangerous.” United States v. Copley,
935 F.2d 669, 672 (4th
Cir. 1991). Although the warden of the medical facility in which Duncan was housed
certified, pursuant to § 4246(a), that suitable arrangements for state custody were not
available, the district court did not make a finding in this regard. Nevertheless, because
Duncan has not shown that this omission impacted the outcome of the proceedings, we
conclude that he has failed to establish that the error affected his substantial rights. See
Puckett v. United States,
556 U.S. 129, 135 (2009).
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Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s order. We dispense with oral argument
because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before
this court and argument would not aid the decisional process.
AFFIRMED
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