TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The vast majority of the bills signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb officially became law Monday.
Many of these bills will directly impact criminal justice, the prosecutor’s office and the local community. Prosecutor Terry Modesitt wanted to highlight some of these important measures.
Some of the
highlights include:
SEA 551 – SEA 551
allows parents to seek a protective order against a person they believe is grooming their child for sexual activity. It also creates a provision so crime victims’ initials are not listed in court documents. Instead, victims will be identified by number only. The bill also creates enhancements for domestic battery charges that involve strangulation. Strangulation is one of the fastest rising charges that prosecutors are seeing statewide and research shows this act is often a precursor to more violent acts in the future. The act also makes a second strangulation offense a Level 5 felony.
HEA 1186 – HEA 1186
allows prosecutors to charge the abuse and trafficking of a synthetic drug as the drug it is designed to mimic. For instance, synthetic drugs designed to act like heroin will be charged at the same level as possessing and dealing heroin itself.
SEA 186
makes all Operating While Intoxicated Causing Death cases Level 4 felonies, doubling the potential penalties for this offense to a maximum sentence of 12 years. In addition, it makes OWI Causing Serious Bodily Injury a Level 5 felony and creates a sentencing enhancement for “catastrophic injury” that is also a Level 4 felony.
SEA 240
deals with intimidation, particularly threats to schools and school buildings. SEA 240 expands the intimidation statute to include threats made to any person that puts said person in fear that the threat will be carried out. The hope is that this bill will make it easier for prosecutors to charge those who make bomb or shooting threats to schools.
SEA 198
was the much-discussed bias crimes bill. The new law makes it an aggravating circumstance if a crime was committed due to the perceived or actual characteristics, traits, beliefs, practices or associations of the victim, including but not limited to color, creed, disability, national origin, race, religion or sexual orientation. A judge would decide at sentencing if it is appropriate to apply this aggravator.
HEA 1615
broadens language in the animal abuse statutes to make it easier to charge offenses related to the torture of animals.
SEA 243
creates a new crime for distributing an intimate image of another person without that person’s consent, commonly referred to as Revenge Porn. If proven, the nonconsensual distribution would result in a Class A misdemeanor conviction.
These are just a few of hundreds of new laws that will come into effect on July 1, Modesitt said. Vigo County residents are encouraged to visit
www.iga.in.gov/legislative/2019/bills
for a complete list.
