Opinion ID: 1480196
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Insufficient Evidence of Guilt for Simple Assault

Text: The defendant also contends that the evidence introduced at trial was insufficient to convict him of assaulting Officer Boudreault. In response, the state maintains that this issue is not properly before the Court because the defendant failed to renew his motion for judgment of acquittal at the close of all evidence, and thus did not preserve this issue for appeal. [5] Before this Court will consider an appeal of a trial justice's denial of a Rule 29 motion for judgment of acquittal, the defendant must have properly preserved the issue for appellate review. Here, the defendant moved for judgment of acquittal at the close of the state's case. Indeed, he was successful in having the counts of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct dismissed. But, after the defendant presented his own evidence, he failed to renew his motion. We consistently have held that the failure to renew a motion for judgment of acquittal at the close of evidence forecloses the defendant's right to appeal the denial. See State v. Andreozzi, 798 A.2d 372, 374 (R.I.2002) (citing State v. Studley, 671 A.2d 1230, 1231 (R.I.1996)).