HOUSE BILL NO. 2713 Offered January 10, 2007 Prefiled January 10, 2007 A BILL to amend and reenact § 18.2-460 of the Code of Virginia, relating to obstructing justice by failure to make emergency call. ---------- Patron-- Barlow ---------- Committee Referral Pending ----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That § 18.2-460 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 18.2-460. Obstructing justice.

A.  If any person without just cause knowingly obstructs a judge, magistrate, justice, juror, attorney for the Commonwealth, witness or any law-enforcement officer in the performance of his duties as such or fails or refuses without just cause to cease such obstruction when requested to do so by such judge, magistrate, justice, juror, attorney for the Commonwealth, witness, or law-enforcement officer, he shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. 

B.  If any person, by threats or force, knowingly attempts to intimidate or impede a judge, magistrate, justice, juror, attorney for the Commonwealth, witness, or any law-enforcement officer, lawfully engaged in his duties as such, or to obstruct or impede the administration of justice in any court, he shall be deemed to be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. 

C.  If any person by threats of bodily harm or force knowingly attempts to intimidate or impede a judge, magistrate, justice, juror, witness, or any law-enforcement officer, lawfully engaged in the discharge of his duty, or to obstruct or impede the administration of justice in any court relating to a violation of or conspiracy to violate § 18.2-248 or subdivision (a) (3), (b) or (c) of § 18.2-248.1, or § 18.2-46.2 or § 18.2-46.3, or relating to the violation of or conspiracy to violate any violent felony offense listed in subsection C of § 17.1-805, he shall be guilty of a Class 5 felony. 

D.  Any person who knowingly and willfully makes any materially false statement or representation to a law-enforcement officer who is in the course of conducting an investigation of a crime by another is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. 

E.  Any person who, in order to avoid investigation of himself for a crime, willfully fails to make a telephone call to or otherwise communicate with law enforcement or an emergency health care provider when he knows that a criminal act has occurred or that another person is in danger or has suffered severe bodily injury, is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.