United States v. Baggett

Donald Baggett (defendant) married Catherine Baggett in November 1998. Donald and Catherine lived in Tennessee. One week after the wedding, Catherine was riding in the car with Donald when Catherine told Donald that she was leaving him. Donald wrestled Catherine to the back seat, and Catherine jumped out of the car. Donald caught her, grabbed her hair, took her home, and abused her for about an hour. Catherine remained in the marriage. Donald was a professional truck driver, and Catherine accompanied him on a work trip to California in May 1999. On the drive through Oklahoma back to Tennessee, Donald and Catherine started arguing. Donald hit Catherine’s head against the steering wheel and choked her. Donald stopped the truck and forced Catherine into the sleeper cabin of the truck, where he slapped, punched, choked, and kicked her. Donald told her to stay in the cabin, and Catherine was too scared to disobey. Some time later, Donald stopped at a rest stop and beat Catherine until she suffered a concussion. Catherine eventually fell asleep in the truck and woke up in Tennessee. Donald parked at a warehouse in Memphis and allowed Catherine to leave the truck to go inside the warehouse to use the bathroom. Catherine lost consciousness on the way to the bathroom, and a warehouse employee found Catherine on the floor of the warehouse, covered with red marks, blood, and bruises. The emergency-room doctor who treated Catherine testified that Catherine had injuries on her entire upper body and that Catherine told him that Donald had assaulted her multiple times and the assaults apparently occurred in different states. A sheriff’s deputy went to arrest Donald, who was sleeping in the truck, which was still parked at the warehouse in Tennessee. Donald told the deputy that the assaults happened in Oklahoma and Arkansas but not Tennessee. Donald was charged in federal court in Tennessee with interstate domestic violence in violation of 18 U.S.C. §2261(a)(2) and kidnapping in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1201. Donald pled not guilty, was tried before a jury, and was convicted. Donald appealed.