General Assembly Raised Bill No. 6643
January Session, 2013 LCO No. 4406
*04406_______JUD*
Referred to Committee on JUDICIARY
Introduced by:
(JUD)
General Assembly
Raised Bill No. 6643
January Session, 2013
LCO No. 4406
*04406_______JUD*
Referred to Committee on JUDICIARY
Introduced by:
(JUD)
AN ACT CONCERNING THE FAILURE OF A WITNESS TO REPORT A SERIOUS CRIME.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2009) (a) A person is guilty of failure to report a crime when such person witnesses what the person knows or reasonably should know is the murder of another person, the assault or sexual assault of another person that constitutes a felony or the physical abuse of a child that constitutes a felony, or the attempt thereof, and does not, as soon as reasonably practicable, report that crime to a law enforcement agency.
(b) In any prosecution for an offense under this section, it shall be an affirmative defense that the defendant: (1) Did not, as soon as reasonably practicable, report a crime to a law enforcement agency because the defendant reasonably believed that (A) reporting the crime to a law enforcement agency would have exposed the defendant or another person to a substantial risk of physical injury, or (B) another person had already reported the crime to a law enforcement agency; (2) acted to stop the commission of the crime and stopped (A) the commission of the crime, or (B) the completion of the crime being attempted; or (3) was a victim of the crime.
(c) Failure to report a crime is a class A misdemeanor.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2009 New section
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
October 1, 2009
New section
Statement of Purpose:
To require a person who witnesses a murder, or a sexual assault, other assault or child abuse that constitutes a felony, to report that crime to a law enforcement agency.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]