People v. Davidson
Annotate this Case
Davidson was charged with aggravated battery (720 ILCS 5/12-3.05(d)(4)(i)), for pushing Correctional Officer Stitt in the chest. Stitt was on duty at the Montgomery County Jail when he heard loud banging, investigated, and noticed that a dry-erase board had been knocked off the wall. Stitt then saw Davidson screaming and swearing. Stitt explained that any yelling at the jail needed to be stopped immediately to reduce the likelihood of escalation among the inmates. Davidson refused to comply. Stitt informed him that he would be placed on lockdown. Davidson stated Stitt “would have to make [him] go on lockdown.” As Stitt attempted to block Davidson from running. Davidson shoved Stitt in the chest. Stitt, who was not injured, subdued Davidson. Stitt did not testify that he felt insulted or provoked by Davidson’s push. Davidson admitted to yelling and running away from Stitt. He denied hitting Stitt.
The appellate court and Illinois Supreme Court affirmed Davidson's conviction. The trier of fact must consider the context of the conduct when determining whether the contact was insulting or provoking. The physical contact was precipitated by Davidson’s intentional disregard of Stitt’s commands and taunting of Stitt; it would be reasonable for the jury to infer that Davidson’s act was insulting or was provoking a physical altercation. The state is not required to prove that a battery victim subjectively felt insulted or provoked by the contact but need only prove that a reasonable person would have felt insulted or provoked by the physical contact.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.