UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Steaven Martin BASINGER, Defendant-Appellant

OVERVIEW

In January 1994, a jury convicted Steaven M. Basinger of establishing a drug manufacturing facility in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 856 (a)(1), and manufacturing methamphetamine in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841 (a)(1). He was sentenced to 151 months on each count, to be served concurrently. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291 , and we affirm.

FACTS

Steaven M. Basinger lived in his mobile home on property located at 61 Dorsett Drive, in Yakima, Washington, from some time in November 1992 until a few days before Christmas 1992. Jay Woods, who owned the property, lived in Nebraska and gave Basinger permission to spend the winter there. A derelict motor home and an L-shaped shed were already on the property. One section of the shed stored tools, furniture, and other odds and ends. The other section was secured, and it primarily stored chemicals and equipment left over from Woods’ former pesticide business and chemistry experiments.

On November 29, 1992, Woods’ son-in-law, Bruce McDonald, went to the property to meet Basinger and to search for some of Woods’ crucibles in the shed. He noted that Basinger seemed “paranoid” about McDonald entering the shed and seemed…