H. B. 3184


(By Delegate Warner)


[Introduced February 21, 2003; referred to the

Committee on the Judiciary.]




A BILL to amend article one, chapter sixty-one of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section ten, relating to crimes against the government; making it a crime for a person to fail to appear in court when under a mandate to do so; and specifying criminal penalties.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That amend article one, chapter sixty-one of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section ten, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 1. CRIMES AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT.

 §61-1-10. Failure to Appear; penalties.
Where any person has failed to appear in any court in this state on a criminal matter in accordance with a citation, summons, warrant, bond or court ordered continuance, in addition to any other remedies provided in this code, that person is guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars, or imprisoned in the regional or county jail not more than thirty days. Each court date missed constitutes a separate offense.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to make it a misdemeanor for a person to fail to appear for court.

This section is new; therefore strike-throughs and underlining have been omitted.