United States v. Felipe Lothridge

BOWMAN, Circuit Judge.

Felipe Lothridge was convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base. See 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) (2000). On appeal, he raises three issues, urging that the District Court erred when it denied his motion to suppress, when it admitted evidence of his prior bad acts, and when it admitted the drugs into evidence despite Lothridge’s proffered evidence of tampering. We have no occasion to reach the merits of Lothridge’s claims because the District Court erred when it failed to conduct a de novo review of the magistrate judge’s proposed findings regarding…