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Introduced Version House Bill 4649 History

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Key: Green = existing Code. Red = new code to be enacted
H. B. 4649


(By Delegate Miley)
[Introduced February 18, 2008; referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary.]




A BILL to amend and reenact §61-2-28 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to increasing certain penalties for persons convicted of domestic battery and domestic assault including the requirement that they complete an approved batterers' course.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §61-2-28 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. CRIMES AGAINST THE PERSON.
§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, and shall complete a recognized and approved batterers' intervention and anger management program.
(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 less than twenty-four hours nor more than six months, or fined not more than one hundred dollars, or both, and shall complete a recognized and approved batterers' intervention and anger management program.
(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 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 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 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 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 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 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 section two hundred four, article twenty-seven, chapter forty-eight 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 section one thousand two, article twenty-seven, chapter forty-eight of this code.


NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to increase certain penalties for persons convicted of domestic battery and domestic assault including the requirement that they complete an approved batterers' course.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.
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