111344P.pdf   12/15/2011  United States  v.  Dale Aldridge
   U.S. Court of Appeals Case No:  11-1344
   U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa - Des Moines   
   [PUBLISHED] [Benton, Author, with Melloy and Smith, Circuit Judges]
   Criminal case - Criminal law and sentencing. District court did not err in
   finding defendant's confession was admissible as he was not in custody at
   the time he made the statements, and the statements were not obtained
   through improper coercion or deception; while it was error to admit
   evidence of two of defendant's four prior drug felony convictions because
   they were too remote in time, the error was harmless as the evidence was
   merely cumulative and the district court gave a proper limiting instruction;
   evidence was sufficient to support defendant's conviction for conspiracy
   to distribute methamphetamine; mandatory life sentence does not violate
   the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.