NORTHAMPTON — A Chicopee man was sentenced to three years in jail for assaulting a fellow Hampshire County Jail and House of Correction inmate with a chair last year.
Dan Daniels, 27, pleaded guilty Monday in Hampshire Superior Court to charges of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon and assault and battery.
The incident occurred on Nov. 20, 2016 at the jail. Sometime during that day, Daniels became upset and picked up a chair and used it to hit another man, Assistant Northwestern District Attorney Matthew Thomas said in court. After striking the man, Daniels then jumped on him and struck him in the head.
The incident was caught on video. Thomas said it was unclear what prompted the assault as the victim was watching television at the time.
“It appears as though the defendant operates on a hair trigger anyway,” Thomas said.
Defense attorney Marissa Elkins told the judge that Daniels has had difficulty getting through a sentence without gaining additional charges and noted that parole will be difficult for him.
“He has seen trauma while incarcerated,” Elkins said. “He does not wish to be in this position again.”
Daniels was sentenced to three years in state prison on the assault with a weapon charge. He was sentenced to two years in jail on the assault charge, to be served concurrently with the state prison sentence.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.