Commonwealth v. Sargent

The defendant challenges his commitment as a “sexually dangerous person” pursuant to G. L. c. 123A, asserting that he was interviewed by a qualified examiner1 in violation of his right to counsel. The defendant also argues that the judge’s findings that he was a sexually dangerous person constituted clear error, that the Commonwealth did not timely file the petition for trial, and that he received ineffective assistance of counsel. We transferred the case from the Appeals Court on our own motion. Because we hold that there is no right to counsel at an interview with a qualified examiner under…