This bill aims to amend and clarify the criminal offenses related to malicious assault, unlawful assault, and battery against law-enforcement officers, correctional employees, and emergency medical service personnel in West Virginia. It introduces a new section, 61-2-10c, which provides specific definitions for terms such as "emergency service personnel," "law-enforcement officer," and "correctional employee." The bill establishes penalties for various offenses, including malicious assault, unlawful assault, battery, and assault, with varying degrees of severity and corresponding prison sentences.

Key changes include the removal of references to "law-enforcement officers," "correctional employees," and "emergency service personnel" from the existing section 61-2-10b, and their replacement with broader terms like "government representative" and "utility worker." The new section explicitly defines the roles of law-enforcement officers, correctional employees, and emergency service personnel, and outlines the penalties for assaults against them, including felony charges for malicious and unlawful assaults, as well as misdemeanors for battery. Additionally, the bill stipulates that sentences for crimes against correctional employees cannot run concurrently with other sentences if the offender is already incarcerated.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 61-2-10b, 61-2-10c