ROCKLAND, Maine — A 34-year-old Maine State Prison inmate will likely serve additional time behind bars after a Knox County jury found him guilty Tuesday evening of assaulting a corrections officer.
Richard Stahursky, 34, was convicted of assault on a corrections officer but acquitted of criminal threatening. The jury deliberated for about three hours before returning their verdict.
Sentencing is scheduled for Friday.
Stahursky is serving a sentence at the Maine State Prison for elevated aggravated assault from 2011 in Knox County. His expected release date had been July 2019.
In closing arguments made Tuesday afternoon, Assistant Knox County District Attorney Jeffrey Baroody said this was a case of an inmate who was looking to provoke an incident.
The incident occurred when Stahursky was going to the recreation area and a guard conducted a routine pat-down search, the prosecutor said. When the prisoner failed to comply with a directive, the prison guard used appropriate force in order for Stahursky to comply. At that point, Stahursky turned around and struck the guard, the prosecutor told the jury.
The guard suffered a bruise that produced golf-ball-size swelling on his head, the prosecutor said.
Defense attorney Lawrence Frier countered in his closing argument, however, that Stahursky reacted to excessive force. His client does not contest that he struck the officer but did it only after Stahurksy’s head was slammed into a wall after he complained when the guard tossed his belongings, including inhalers for breathing problems, on the floor.
Frier said Stahursky suffered bruises on the back of his arm from the excessive force used but the prison staff refused to photograph his injuries.
“He is seeking justice,” Frier said and the only way to get justice was for an acquittal on the charges.
Baroody said, however, that this was not a case of officer brutality but instead was about a prisoner frustrated that he was being delayed in getting to the recreation area.
The jury trial lasted two days. Justice Jeffrey Hjelm presided over the trial.
So a prison guard gives a convicted violent criminal a bruise
and it ends up in court for 2 days ??
How bout 30 days in the hole for the jailbird.
Failure to communicate.
not so sure I agree with you, ever hear stories from inmates Re: abuse from guards for unnecessary reasons, except they can, and do, and get away with it!!
Like you said….”stories”
He deserves to spend an extra 5 years or as he has learned nothing after a year he is still assulting people.this guy is where he belongs behind bars.
I have many friends that work at the State Prison in Warren. They are under-staffed and under-paid and yet the vast majority of them are professional in their duties at ALL times. I also have worked in that industry in a different state and can tell you that these stories are what they are… They are stories, made up by criminals, with virtually no truth to it. Maybe it did 60 years ago, but all places now have video monitoring and all cell extractions are videoed as well.
read this report done Oct. 31 2012 posted in the BDN for Facts….and then tell me you believe what you say you know!!! did you ever hear of videos being doctored? I am NOT saying all the guards are involved in corrupt behavior.. An honest guard will tell you there are unnecessary situations Re: inmate abuse!! on many levels, and prolly go on in just about all prisons!! being short staffed is no excuse whatsoever!!
First of all the videos aren’t anywhere that they can be “Doctored”. There may be dirty CO’s in the prison just like there could be an employee stealing from Wal-Mart… but that doesn’t mean the inmates get beat up. If anything, lately it’s the officers gettin hit and treated unfairly. As far as being short staffed…Go apply and put some time in a pod where they can be filled with up to 64 inmates that are there for murder, rape, drugs, GSA and lots of other fun charges but only one officer with no direct live line of vision on him with barely any response in case of an emergency. Add in the fact that they are paid extremely low wages when compared to the national average and see if you don’t end up a little antsy. They have to be ready for anything at anytime.
then it”s time for a career change, would you not agree?
needed a good butt kickin anyhoo
bull
U got that straight..i found that out firsthand during my little visits there..things happen
This is a case where you had to be there to know exactly what happened.