Commonwealth v. Blanchette

Following an evidentiary hearing pursuant to G. L. c. 123A, § 12(c), a Superior Court judge determined that the Commonwealth had not shown probable cause to believe that *166Robert Blanchette is a sexually dangerous person as defined in G. L. c. 123A, § 1. The Commonwealth contends on appeal that the judge misapplied the pertinent standard for determining probable cause, erroneously rejecting in the process certain evidence presented by the Commonwealth.

The timing of the probable cause hearing in question compounds the difficulty of the issue presented. The hearing took place on May 2, 2000,…