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Indiana Code Title 35. Criminal Law and Procedure § 35-44.1-3-1

On Behalf of | Oct 3, 2019 | Education

Sec. 1 . (a) A person who knowingly or intentionally:

(1) forcibly resists, obstructs, or interferes with a law enforcement officer or a person assisting the officer while the officer is lawfully engaged in the execution of the officer’s duties;

(2) forcibly resists, obstructs, or interferes with the authorized service or execution of a civil or criminal process or order of a court;  or

(3) flees from a law enforcement officer after the officer has, by visible or audible means, including operation of the law enforcement officer’s siren or emergency lights, identified himself or herself and ordered the person to stop;

commits resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor, except as provided in subsection (b).

(b) The offense under subsection (a) is a:

(1) Level 6 felony if:

(A) the offense is described in subsection (a)(3) and the person uses a vehicle to commit the offense;  or

(B) while committing any offense described in subsection (a), the person draws or uses a deadly weapon, inflicts bodily injury on or otherwise causes bodily injury to another person, or operates a vehicle in a manner that creates a substantial risk of bodily injury to another person;

(2) Level 5 felony if, while committing any offense described in subsection (a), the person operates a vehicle in a manner that causes serious bodily injury to another person;

(3) Level 3 felony if, while committing any offense described in subsection (a), the person operates a vehicle in a manner that causes the death of another person;  and

(4) Level 2 felony if, while committing any offense described in subsection (a), the person operates a vehicle in a manner that causes the death of a law enforcement officer while the law enforcement officer is engaged in the officer’s official duties.

(c) If a person uses a vehicle to commit a felony offense under subsection (b)(1)(B), (b)(2), (b)(3), or (b)(4), as part of the criminal penalty imposed for the offense, the court shall impose a minimum executed sentence of at least:

(1) thirty (30) days, if the person does not have a prior unrelated conviction under this section;

(2) one hundred eighty (180) days, if the person has one (1) prior unrelated conviction under this section;  or

(3) one (1) year, if the person has two (2) or more prior unrelated convictions under this section.

(d) Notwithstanding IC 35-50-2-2.2 and IC 35-50-3-1 , the mandatory minimum sentence imposed under subsection (c) may not be suspended.

(e) If a person is convicted of an offense involving the use of a motor vehicle under:

(1) subsection (b)(1)(A), if the person exceeded the speed limit by at least twenty (20) miles per hour while committing the offense;

(2) subsection (b)(2);  or

(3) subsection (b)(3);

the court may notify the bureau of motor vehicles to suspend or revoke the person’s driver’s license and all certificates of registration and license plates issued or registered in the person’s name in accordance with IC 9-30-4-6.1(b)(3) for the period described in IC 9-30-4-6.1(d)(1) or IC 9-30-4-6.1(d)(2) .  The court shall inform the bureau whether the person has been sentenced to a term of incarceration.  At the time of conviction, the court may obtain the person’s current driver’s license and return the license to the bureau of motor vehicles.

(f) A person may not be charged or convicted of a crime under subsection (a)(3) if the law enforcement officer is a school resource officer acting in the officer’s capacity as a school resource officer.