H. B. 4419
(By Delegate Hunt)
[Introduced February 6, 2006; referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary.]
A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by
adding thereto a new section, designated §61-11-18a, relating
to enhancement of penalties for crimes against the elderly.
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 §61-11-18a, to read as
follows:
ARTICLE 11. GENERAL PROVISIONS CONCERNING CRIMES.
§61-11-18a.
Crimes against the elderly; enhanced penalty.
If any person convicted for an offense defined under this
chapter is found to have committed the offense against a person who
is sixty-five years of age or older, the court shall add five years
to the term of imprisonment imposed by the court for the offense.
Should the court impose an indeterminate sentence, five years shall
be added to the maximum term of imprisonment otherwise provided under the law. Notwithstanding any other provision of this code,
the additional term of sentence imposed by the court pursuant to
this section is mandatory and is not subject to suspension or
probation.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide for enhanced
penalties for crimes against the elderly and to provide for
mandatory jail time in such cases.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.