WEST virginia legislature
2020 regular session
Introduced
Senate Bill 169
By Senators Rucker and Cline
[Introduced January
9, 2020; referred
to the Committee on the Judiciary]
A BILL to amend and reenact §61-2-9a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating generally to stalking and harassment; creating the offense of harassment with the intent to cause another to physically injure himself or herself or to take his or her own life; creating the offense of continuing to harass another knowing, or having reason to know, that such harassment is likely to cause another to physically injure himself or herself or take his or her own life due, in whole or part, to the harassment; removing the time limit within which a second or subsequent violation constitutes a felony; and creating criminal penalties.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
ARTICLE 2. CRIMES AGAINST THE PERSON.
§61-2-9a. Stalking; harassment; penalties; definitions.
(a) Any person who
repeatedly follows another knowing or having reason to know that the conduct
causes the person followed to reasonably fear for his or her safety or suffer
significant emotional distress, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction
thereof, shall be incarcerated in the county or regional jail for not
more than six months or fined not more than $1,000, or both.
(b) Any person who
repeatedly harasses or repeatedly makes credible threats against another is
guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be incarcerated in
the county or regional jail for not more than six months or fined not
more than $1,000, or both.
(c) Notwithstanding any
provision of this code to the contrary, any person who violates the provisions
of subsection (a) or (b) of this section in violation of an order entered by a
circuit court, magistrate court or family court judge, in effect and entered
pursuant to §48-5-501, et seq., §48-5-601, et seq., or §48-27-403 of this code
is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be incarcerated
in the county jail for not less than 90 days nor more than one year or
fined not less than $2,000 nor more than $5,000, or both.
(d) A second or subsequent
conviction for a violation of subsection (a), (b), or (c) of this section
occurring within five years of a prior conviction is a felony punishable
by incarceration in a state correctional facility for not less than one year
nor more than five years or fined not less than $3,000 nor more than $10,000,
or both.
(e) Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, any person against whom a protective order for injunctive relief is in effect pursuant to the provisions of §48-27-501 of this code who has been served with a copy of said order or §48-5-608 of this code who is convicted of a violation of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a felony and, punishable by incarceration in a state correctional facility for not less than one year nor more than five years or fined not less than $3,000 nor more than $10,000, or both.
(f) Notwithstanding any provisions of subsection (a) or (b) of this section, any person who harasses another with the intent to cause the person to physically injure himself or herself or to take his or her own life or who continues to harass another knowing or having reason to know that the person is likely to physically injure himself or herself or to take his or her own life based, in whole or in part, on such harassment is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, shall be imprisoned in a state correctional facility for a determinate sentence of not less than two years nor more than 10 years.
(f) (g) For the purposes of this section:
(1) “Bodily injury” means substantial physical pain, illness or any impairment of physical condition;
(2) “Credible threat” means a threat of bodily injury made with the apparent ability to carry out the threat and with the result that a reasonable person would believe that the threat could be carried out;
(3) “Harasses” means willful conduct directed at a specific person or persons which would cause a reasonable person mental injury or emotional distress;
(4) “Immediate family” means a spouse, parent, stepparent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, child, stepchild, sibling, or any person who regularly resides in the household or within the prior six months regularly resided in the household; and
(5) “Repeatedly” means on two or more occasions.
(g) (h) Nothing in this section shall be construed
to prevent lawful assembly and petition for the lawful redress of grievances,
including, but not limited to: Any labor or employment relations issue;
demonstration at the seat of federal, state, county or municipal government;
activities protected by the West Virginia Constitution or the United States
Constitution or any statute of this state or the United States.
(h) (i) Any person convicted under the provisions
of this section who is granted probation or for whom execution or imposition of
a sentence or incarceration is suspended is to have as a condition of probation
or suspension of sentence that he or she participate in counseling or medical
treatment as directed by the court.
(i) (j) Upon conviction of a violation of
subsection (a), (b), or (c) of this section, the court may issue an order
restraining the defendant from any contact with the victim for a period not to
exceed 10 years. The length of any restraining order shall be based upon the
seriousness of the violation before the court, the probability of future
violations, and the safety of the victim or his or her immediate family. The
duration of the restraining order may be longer than five years only in cases
when a longer duration is necessary to protect the safety of the victim or his
or her immediate family.
(j)(k) It is a
condition of bond for any person accused of the offense described in this
section that the person is to have no contact, direct or indirect, verbal or
physical, with the alleged victim.
(k)(l) Nothing
in this section may be construed to preclude a sentencing court from exercising
its power to impose home confinement with electronic monitoring as an
alternative sentence.
(l)(m) The
Governor's Committee on Crime, Delinquency and Correction, after consultation
with representatives of labor, licensed domestic violence programs and rape
crisis centers which meet the standards of the West Virginia Foundation for
Rape Information and Services, is authorized to promulgate legislative rules
and emergency rules pursuant to §29A-3-1 et seq. of this code,
establishing appropriate standards for the enforcement of this section by
state, county, and municipal law-enforcement officers and agencies.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to create a felony of harassing another with intent to have the person do injury to self or take his or her own life, or of continuing to harass someone with knowledge that the person may injure himself or herself or take his or her own life.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.