R.I. Super. Ct. R. Crim. P. 43

The defendant shall be present at the

arraignment and at the imposition of sentence, except as otherwise provided by these

rules. The defendant shall be present at every stage of the trial, including the

impaneling of the jury and the return of the verdict, except that the defendant may

be excluded from the proceedings if, after appropriate warning, the defendant

persists in acting in a manner so disorderly, disruptive, and disrespectful of the court

that the trial cannot be carried on with the defendant in the courtroom. The

defendant's voluntary absence after the trial has been commenced in the defendant's

presence shall not prevent continuing the trial to and including the return of the

verdict. A corporation may appear by an attorney for all purposes. In prosecutions

for offenses punishable by fine or by imprisonment for not more than one (1) year

or both, the court, with the written consent of the defendant, may permit arraignment,

plea, trial, and imposition of sentence in the defendant's absence. The defendant's

presence is not required at a reduction of sentence under Rule 35.