F I L E D
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
October 17, 2005
TENTH CIRCUIT
Clerk of Court
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
No. 05-6076
(Western District of Oklahoma)
v.
(D.C. Nos. 04-CV-570-M and
02-CR-171-M)
DETRICK LARON FORD,
Defendant-Appellant.
ORDER
Before BRISCOE, LUCERO, and MURPHY, Circuit Judges.
Petitioner, Detrick Laron Ford, seeks a certificate of appealability (“COA”)
so he can appeal the district court’s denial of the motion to vacate, set aside, or
correct sentence he brought pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255. See 28 U.S.C. §
2253(c)(1)(B) (providing that a movant may not appeal the denial of a § 2255
motion unless the movant first obtains a COA). Pursuant to the terms of a plea
agreement, Ford pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute
a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of phencyclidine (“PCP”),
in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). 1 Ford was sentenced to two hundred and
ninety-two months’ incarceration, four years’ supervised release, and ordered to
pay a fine.
Although Ford waived his right to appeal or collaterally challenge his
conviction and sentence as part of his plea agreement, he filed the instant § 2255
motion on May 6, 2004. In the motion, Ford raised four issues: (1) his arrest was
unlawful, (2) his conviction was obtained by the improper use of evidence
recovered from the home of an ex-girlfriend, (3) his failure to cooperate with
officers at the time of his arrest could be explained by his bipolar disorder, and
(4) his guilty plea was not made knowingly and voluntarily because his counsel
provided constitutionally ineffective assistance. The district court concluded that
the waiver in Ford’s plea agreement was enforceable as to his first two arguments
and that his third argument was wholly meritless because neither his conviction
nor his sentence were affected by his conduct toward the arresting officers. The
court then analyzed Ford’s ineffective assistance of counsel claims but concluded
the claims failed on the merits.
In his application for a COA and appellate brief, Ford makes only one
argument. He asserts the district court erred when it dismissed the ineffective
Five other counts in the indictment were dismissed on the government’s
1
motion pursuant to the terms of the plea agreement.
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assistance claim predicated on his assertion that counsel assured him his sentence
could be reduced after it was imposed to less than five years’ imprisonment. Ford
asserts that the district court should have held an evidentiary hearing to resolve
this claim. He also admits, however, that he failed to present the issue “properly”
and cogently before the district court “in an understandable way.” He attempts to
place the blame for that failure on the jailhouse lawyer who assisted him in filing
his § 2255 motion. It is well-settled, however, that there is no constitutional right
to counsel in post-conviction proceedings. See Pennsylvania v. Finley, 481 U.S.
551, 555 (1987). Accordingly, we decline to consider Ford’s arguments because
they were not adequately presented to the district court. See Green v. Dorrell,
969 F.2d 915, 917 (10th Cir. 1992).
To be entitled to a COA, Ford must make “a substantial showing of the
denial of a constitutional right.” 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(2). To make the requisite
showing, he must demonstrate “that reasonable jurists could debate whether (or,
for that matter, agree that) the petition should have been resolved in a different
manner or that the issues presented were adequate to deserve encouragement to
proceed further.” Miller-El v. Cockrell, 322 U.S. 322, 336 (2003) (quotations
omitted). In evaluating whether Ford has satisfied his burden, this court
undertakes “a preliminary, though not definitive, consideration of the [legal]
framework” applicable to each of his claims. Id. at 338. Although Ford need not
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demonstrate his appeal will succeed to be entitled to a COA, he must “prove
something more than the absence of frivolity or the existence of mere good faith.”
Id.
Having undertaken a review of Ford’s application for a COA and appellate
filings, the district court’s order, and the entire record on appeal pursuant to the
framework set out by the Supreme Court in Miller-El, this court concludes that
Ford is not entitled to a COA. The district court’s resolution of Ford’s § 2255
motion is not reasonably subject to debate and the issues he seeks to raise on
appeal are not adequate to deserve further proceedings. Accordingly, this court
denies Ford’s request for a COA and dismisses this appeal. Ford’s motion to
proceed in forma pauperis on appeal is granted.
Entered for the Court
CLERK, COURT OF APPEALS
By
Deputy Clerk
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