Henry (HB 227) Act No. 815
Prior law defined the crime of battery of a school or recreation athletic contest official as
battery committed without the consent of the victim when the offender has reasonable
grounds to believe the victim is a school athletic or recreation contest official and provides
for a definition of "school athletic contest official" and "recreation athletic contest official".
New law amended prior law offense to apply only if the battery occurs while the official is
actively engaged in the conducting, supervising, refereeing, or officiating of a school-
sanctioned interscholastic or recreation athletic contest.
Prior law provided that any person convicted of this offense shall be fined not more than
$500 and shall be imprisoned for not less than 48 hours nor more than six months. This
sentence could only be suspended by the court if the offender is placed on probation with a
minimum condition that he perform five days of community service work.
New law amends the penalties as follows:
(1)Fine of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000, and imprisonment for not less
than five days nor more than six months without benefit of suspension of sentence.
(2)If the offense results in serious bodily injury, as defined by existing law, to the
victim: fine of not less $1,000 nor more than $5,000, and imprisonment for not less
than 10 days nor more than six months, which may be suspended.
(3)In addition to the penalties provided in (1) and (2) above, the offender shall perform
40 hours of court-approved community service and participate in a court-approved
counseling program which may include anger management, abusive behavior
intervention groups, or any other type of counseling deemed appropriate by the court.
New law further provides that participation in community service and the counseling
program required by new law shall not be suspended and that the cost of participation in the
counseling program shall be borne by the offender.
New law otherwise retains existing law.
Effective Aug. 1, 2014.
(Amends R.S. 14:34.4)