Commonwealth v. Stapleton

Following a jury-waived trial in District Court, the defendant was convicted of assault and battery on a correctional facility employee. On appeal, he challenges the sufficiency of the evidence. We affirm.

Background. At the time of the incident, the defendant was an inmate at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility (facility). On November 27, 2015, the defendant, together with other inmates, staged a protest by refusing to enter their cells.2 After correctional officers responded to the protest, the other inmates relented, one by one, leaving only the defendant in the common area. According…