HB 2864 Text

Enrolled Version - Final Version House Bill 2864 History

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HB2864 SUB ENR ENROLLED
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
for
H. B. 2864

(By Delegates Miley, Lawrence, Ferro, Skaff,

Perdue, Brown, Paxton and Stowers)

[Passed March 11, 2011; in effect ninety days from passage.]

AN ACT to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section designated §61-2-14g; and to amend and reenact §61-2-28 of said code, all relating to the creation of the misdemeanor offense of unlawful restraint; distinguishing the offense from that of kidnapping; defining restrain; providing for affirmative defenses; and penalties

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §61-2-14g; and to amend and reenact §61-2-28 of said code, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. CRIMES AGAINST THE PERSON.
§61-2-14g. Unlawful restraint; penalties.
(a) Any person who, without legal authority intentionally restrains another with the intent that the other person not be allowed to leave the place of restraint and who does so by physical force or by overt or implied threat of violence or by actual physical restraint but without the intent to obtain any other concession or advantage as those terms are used in section fourteen-a of this article is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be confined in jail for not more than one year, fined not more than $1,000, or both.
(b) In any prosecution under this section, it is an affirmative defense that:
(1) The defendant acted reasonably and in good faith to protect the person from imminent physical danger; or
(2) The person restrained was a child less than eighteen years old and that the actor was a parent or legal guardian, or a person acting under authority granted by a parent or legal guardian of such child, or by a teacher or other school personnel acting under authority granted by section one, article five, chapter eighteen-a of this code, and that his or her sole purpose was to assume control of such child.
(c) As used in this section to "restrain" means to restrict a persons movement without his or her consent.
(d) This section shall not apply to acts done by a law enforcement officer in the lawful exercise of his or her duties.
§61-2-28. Domestic violence -- Criminal acts.
(a) Domestic battery. -- Any person who unlawfully and intentionally makes physical contact of an insulting or provoking nature with his or her family or household member or unlawfully and intentionally causes physical harm to his or her family or household member, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be confined in a county or regional jail for not more than twelve months, or fined not more than five hundred dollars, or both.
(b) Domestic assault. -- Any person who unlawfully attempts to commit a violent injury against his or her family or household member or unlawfully commits an act which places his or her family or household member in reasonable apprehension of immediately receiving a violent injury, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be confined in a county or regional jail for not more than six months, or fined not more than one hundred dollars, or both.
(c) Second offense. -- Domestic assault or domestic battery.
A person convicted of a violation of subsection (a) of this section after having been previously convicted of a violation of subsection (a) or (b) of this section, after having been convicted of a violation of subsection (b) or (c), section nine of this article or subsection (a), section fourteen-g of this article where the victim was his or her current or former spouse, current or former sexual or intimate partner, person with whom the defendant has a child in common, person with whom the defendant cohabits or has cohabited, a parent or guardian, the defendant's child or ward or a member of the defendant's household at the time of the offense or who has previously been granted a period of pretrial diversion pursuant to section twenty-two, article eleven of this chapter for a violation of subsection (a) or (b) of this section, or a violation of subsection (b) or (c), section nine of this article or subsection (a), section fourteen-g of this article where the victim was a current or former spouse, current or former sexual or intimate partner, person with whom the defendant has a child in common, person with whom the defendant cohabits or has cohabited, a parent or guardian, the defendant's child or ward or a member of the defendant's household at the time of the offense is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be confined in a county or regional jail for not less than sixty days nor more than one year, or fined not more than one thousand dollars, or both.
A person convicted of a violation of subsection (b) of this section after having been previously convicted of a violation of subsection (a) or (b) of this section, after having been convicted of a violation of subsection (b) or (c), section nine of this article or subsection (a), section fourteen-g of this article where the victim was a current or former spouse, current or former sexual or intimate partner, person with whom the defendant has a child in common, person with whom the defendant cohabits or has cohabited, a parent or guardian, the defendant's child or ward or a member of the defendant's household at the time of the offense or having previously been granted a period of pretrial diversion pursuant to section twenty-two, article eleven of this chapter for a violation of subsection (a) or (b) of this section or subsection (b) or (c), section nine of this article or subsection (a), section fourteen-g of this article where the victim was a current or former spouse, current or former sexual or intimate partner, person with whom the defendant has a child in common, person with whom the defendant cohabits or has cohabited, a parent or guardian, the defendant's child or ward or a member of the defendant's household at the time of the offense shall be confined in a county or regional jail for not less than thirty days nor more than six months, or fined not more than five hundred dollars, or both.
(d) Any person who has been convicted of a third or subsequent violation of the provisions of subsection (a) or (b) of this section, a third or subsequent violation of the provisions of section nine of this article or subsection (a), section fourteen-g of this article where the victim was a current or former spouse, current or former sexual or intimate partner, person with whom the defendant has a child in common, person with whom the defendant cohabits or has cohabited, a parent or guardian, the defendant's child or ward or a member of the defendant's household at the time of the offense or who has previously been granted a period of pretrial diversion pursuant to section twenty-two, article eleven of this chapter for a violation of subsection (a) or (b) of this section or a violation of the provisions of section nine of this article or subsection (a), section fourteen-g of this article in which the victim was a current or former spouse, current or former sexual or intimate partner, person with whom the defendant has a child in common, person with whom the defendant cohabits or has cohabited, a parent or guardian, the defendant's child or ward or a member of the defendant's household at the time of the offense, or any combination of convictions or diversions for these offenses, is guilty of a felony if the offense occurs within ten years of a prior conviction of any of these offenses and, upon conviction thereof, shall be confined in a state correctional facility not less than one nor more than five years or fined not more than two thousand five hundred dollars, or both.
(e) As used in this section, "family or household member" means "family or household member" as defined in §48-27-204 of this code.
(f) A person charged with a violation of this section may not also be charged with a violation of subsection (b) or (c), section nine of this article for the same act.
(g) No law-enforcement officer may be subject to any civil or criminal action for false arrest or unlawful detention for effecting an arrest pursuant to this section or pursuant to §48-27- 1002 of this code.