United States v. Kenneth Reams
United States v. Kenneth Reams
Opinion
UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 20-7284
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v.
KENNETH LAMONT REAMS, a/k/a HOT,
Defendant - Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, at Greensboro. Catherine C. Eagles, District Judge. (1:14-cr-00426-CCE-1)
Submitted: April 27, 2021 Decided: May 13, 2021
Before GREGORY, Chief Judge, HARRIS, Circuit Judge, and SHEDD, Senior Circuit Judge.
Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
Kenneth Lamont Reams, Appellant Pro Se.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. PER CURIAM:
Kenneth Lamont Reams appeals the district court’s order denying his renewed
motion for compassionate release under
18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A), as amended by the
First Step Act of 2018,
Pub. L. No. 115-391, § 603(b)(1),
132 Stat. 5194, 5239. We review
for abuse of discretion the district court’s denial of a compassionate release motion. United
States v. Kibble,
992 F.3d 326, 329(4th Cir. 2021). “A district court abuses its discretion
when it acts arbitrarily or irrationally, fails to consider judicially recognized factors
constraining its exercise of discretion, relies on erroneous factual or legal premises, or
commits an error of law.” United States v. Dillard,
891 F.3d 151, 158(4th Cir. 2018)
(internal quotation marks omitted).
Following enactment of the First Step Act, “§ 3582(c) permits incarcerated persons
to file motions for compassionate release directly with the district court so long as they first
exhaust their administrative remedies.” Kibble,
992 F.3d at 330. To grant an inmate’s
motion for compassionate release under § 3582(c)(1)(A)(i), a district court must (1) find
that extraordinary and compelling reasons warrant a sentence reduction, and (2) consider
the relevant
18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) sentencing factors.
18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A); see
Kibble,
992 F.3d at 330-31, 331 n.3. “The district court enjoy[s] broad discretion in
conducting this analysis.” Kibble,
992 F.3d at 330. “In the context of the COVID-19
outbreak, courts have found extraordinary and compelling reasons for compassionate
release when an inmate shows both a particularized susceptibility to the disease and a
particularized risk of contracting the disease at his prison facility.” United States v. Feiling,
453 F. Supp. 3d 832, 841 (E.D. Va. 2020).
2 Having reviewed Reams’ appellate submissions and the record on appeal in view of
these standards, we find no reversible error in the district court’s conclusion that Reams
failed to demonstrate “extraordinary and compelling reasons” to support his request for
compassionate release. * Accordingly, we affirm on this basis for the reasons stated by the
district court. United States v. Reams, No. 1:14-cr-00426-CCE-1,
2020 WL 5223094(M.D.N.C. Aug. 13, 2020). 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
* Because the district court lacked the authority to grant compassionate release under
18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A)(i) absent a finding of “extraordinary and compelling reasons,” regardless of the court’s analysis of the § 3553(a) factors, we decline to consider Reams’ remaining arguments regarding the court’s § 3553(a) analysis.
3
Reference
- Status
- Unpublished