WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE
2025 REGULAR SESSION
Introduced
House Bill 2066
By Delegates Akers, Hall, D. Smith, T. Howell, Drennan, Leavitt, Heckert, Hornby and Kelly
[Introduced February 12, 2025; 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 as §61-3-60, relating to damage, destruction, or theft of property or equipment used by first responders; definition; and criminal penalties.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
(a) Any person who knowingly and willfully damages, destroys, or steals any equipment, or personal property, owned or operated by the state, county, municipality, or volunteer fire department of this state, that is used by first responders in the performance of their duties, whether that equipment or personal property is in use or maintained in a garage or other building, structure, or location, and that action thereby creates a substantial risk of bodily injury to another person, or results in property loss, or the interruption of service by first responders to the public, is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $5,000, or imprisoned in a state correctional facility not less than one nor more than three years, or both fined and imprisoned.
(b) For purposes of this section, the term "first responder" includes law-enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel, volunteer fire departments and others who respond to calls for emergency medical assistance as defined in §55-7-26.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to create a felony offense of damaging, destroying, or stealing equipment used by first responders in their duties.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.