Shea v. Kirkegard et al

Filing 6

ORDER ADOPTING FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 3 in full. The Petition 1 is DENIED on the merits. Certificate of appealability DENIED. Signed by Judge Richard F. Cebull on 3/13/2013. Mailed to Shea. (TAG, )

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FILED

FOR THE DISTRICT OF MONTANA

MAR I 3 2013

BILLINGS DIVISION

C/e11<, us o· .
DISltict Of ;:;ct COl.Jrt
Billings ntana

JAMES M. SHEA,

CV-12-121-BLG-RFC-CSO

Petitioner,
ORDER ADOPTING FINDINGS
AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF
U.S. MAGISTRATE JUDGE

vs.
LEROY KIRKEGARD, Warden,
Montana State Prison; ATTORNEY
GENERAL OF THE STATE OF
MONTANA,
Respondents.

United States Magistrate Judge Carolyn Ostby has entered Findings and
Recommendation (doc. 3) with respect to James M. Shea's 28 U.S.C. § 2254
petition for writ of habeas corpus (doc. 1). Judge Ostby recommends the petition
be denied on the merits because the record indicates he was convicted of DUI in
1990, making his 2009 DUI conviction his fourth. As such, Shea was
appropriately convicted of felony DUI and designated a persistent felony offender
under Montana law.
Upon service of a magistrate judge's findings and recommendation, a party
1

has 14 days to file written objections. 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(l). Shea filed timely
objections on January 22, 2013 (doc.4) which he supplemented on March 7, 2013
(doc. 5). Accordingly, the Court must make ade nova determination of those
portions of the Findings and Recommendations to which objection is made. 28

u.s.c. § 636(b)(l).
All of Shea's 5 objections are aimed at the validity of the "Court Minutes"
relating to his October 25, 1990 conviction. Shea claims that Judge Ostby
incorrectly relied on the "Court Minutes" because they do not include his name or
case number and there is nothing proving those "Court Minutes" relate to him.
Shea further objects that they are not dated or signed by the presiding judge.
Regardless, it is Shea's burden to prove that he is entitled to relief and it
was Shea that supplied the "Court Minutes" in support of his Petition. He cannot
submit a document as evidence of his claim and then argue it is invalid when it is
used against him. More importantly, a letter from the Missoula Police Department
also submitted by Shea in support of his Petition confirms that the "Court
Minutes" came from Missoula Municipal Court records. Doc. 1-2, p. 71. As such,
Magistrate Judge Ostby properly relied on the "Court Minutes" in concluding that
Shea's October 25, 1990 conviction was fot DUI, not for driving with an
excessive BAC.
2

After a de novo review, the Court determines Magistrate Judge Ostby's
Findings and Recommendation of are well grounded in law and fact and are
adopted in their entirety.
Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that Shea's Petition (doc. 1) is DENIED on
the merits.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that a certificate of appealability is
DENIED.

The Clerk of Court shall enter by separate document a judgment in favor of
Respondents and agai.nst P9!tJti.oner.

/7~

DATED this/_2

day of March, 2013.
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