Thompson v. Warden, Belmont Correctional Institution

OPINION

RONALD LEE GILMAN, Circuit Judge.

Mark Thompson, Jr. filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254, contesting the constitutionality of his state convictions and sentences for theft of a motor vehicle, possession of crack cocaine, carrying a concealed weapon, and receiving stolen property. Among Thompson’s arguments was a challenge to the state trial court’s finding facts used to increase his sentence without submitting the matter to a jury. Thompson claims that his Sixth Amendment rights were violated and that his appellate counsel was ineffective for…