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(a) (1) No person shall knowingly cause another to believe that the offender will cause physical harm to the person or property of the other person, the other person’s unborn, or a member of the other person’s immediate family. In addition to any other basis for the other person’s belief that the offender will cause physical harm to the person or property of the other person, the other person’s unborn, or a member of the other person’s immediate family, the other person’s belief may be based on words or conduct of the offender that are directed at or identify a corporation, association, or other organization that employs the other person or to which the other person belongs.
(2) No person shall knowingly place or attempt to place another in reasonable fear of physical harm or death by displaying a deadly weapon, regardless of whether the deadly weapon displayed is operable or inoperable, if either of the following applies:
A. The other person is an emergency service responder, the person knows or reasonably should know that the other person is an emergency service responder, and it is the person’s specific purpose to engage in the specified conduct against an emergency service responder.
B. The other person is a family or household member or co-worker of an emergency service responder, the person knows or reasonably should know that the other person is a family or household member or co-worker of an emergency service responder, and it is the person’s specific purpose to engage in the specified conduct against a family or household member or co-worker of an emergency service responder.
(b) Whoever violates this section is guilty of menacing. Except as otherwise provided in this division, menacing is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. If the victim of the offense is an officer or employee of a public children services agency or a private child placing agency and the offense relates to the officer’s or employee’s performance or anticipated performance of official responsibilities or duties or if the victim of the offense is an emergency service responder in the performance of the responder’s official duties, menacing is one of the following:
(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (b)(2) of this section, a misdemeanor of the first degree;
(2) If the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to an offense of violence, the victim of that prior offense was an officer or employee of a public children services agency or private child placing agency or an emergency service responder, and that prior offense related to the officer’s or employee’s performance or anticipated performance of official responsibilities or duties or to the responder’s performance of the responder’s official duties, a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate state law.
(c) A prosecution for a violation of this section does not preclude a prosecution of a violation of any other section of the Ohio Revised Code. One or more acts, a series of acts, or a course of behavior that can be prosecuted under this section or any other section of the Ohio Revised Code may be prosecuted under this section, the other section of the Ohio Revised Code, or both sections. However, if an offender is convicted of or pleads guilty to a violation of this section and also is convicted of or pleads guilty to a violation of R.C. § 2903.13, or any substantially similar municipal ordinance, based on the same conduct involving the same victim that was the basis of the violation of this section, the offenses are allied offenses of similar import under R.C. § 2941.25.
(d) As used in this section:
(1) “Co-worker.” Has the same meanings as in R.C. § 2903.13.
(2) “Emergency service responder.” Has the same meanings as in R.C. § 2903.13.
(3) “Family or household member.” Has the same meanings as in R.C. § 2903.13.
(4) “Organization.” Includes an entity that is a governmental employer.
(R.C. § 2903.22)
(a) No person, without privilege to do so, shall knowingly restrain another of his or her liberty.
(b) No person, without privilege to do so and with a sexual motivation, shall knowingly restrain another of the other person’s liberty.
(c) Whoever violates this section is guilty of unlawful restraint, a misdemeanor of the third degree.
(d) As used in this section, “sexual motivation” has the same meaning as in Ohio R.C. 2971.01.
(ORC 2905.03)
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This section was formerly based on R.C. § 2905.05, Criminal Child Enticement. The Ohio Supreme Court held that R.C. § 2905.05(A) was unconstitutionally overbroad in violation of the First Amendment. See State v. Romage, 138 Ohio St. 3d. 390 (2014).)
(a) No person, with purpose to coerce another into taking or refraining from action concerning which the other person has a legal freedom of choice, shall do any of the following:
(1) Threaten to commit any offense.
(2) Utter or threaten any slander against any person.
(3) Expose or threaten to expose any matter tending to subject any person to hatred, contempt or ridicule, or to damage any person’s personal or business repute, or to impair any person’s credit.
(4) Institute or threaten criminal proceedings against any person.
(5) Take or withhold, or threaten to take or withhold official action, or cause or threaten to cause official action to be taken or withheld.
(b) Divisions (a)(4) and (5) of this section shall not be construed to prohibit a prosecutor or court from doing any of the following in good faith and in the interests of justice:
(1) Offering or agreeing to grant, or granting immunity from prosecution pursuant to Ohio R.C. 2945.44.
(2) In return for a plea of guilty to one or more offenses charged or to one or more other or lesser offenses, or in return for the testimony of the accused in a case to which the accused is not a party, offering or agreeing to dismiss, or dismissing one or more charges pending against an accused, or offering or agreeing to impose, or imposing a certain sentence or modification of sentence.
(3) Imposing a community control sanction on certain conditions, including without limitation requiring the offender to make restitution or redress to the victim of the offense.
(c) It is an affirmative defense to a charge under division (a)(3), (4) or (5) of this section that the actor’s conduct was a reasonable response to the circumstances which occasioned it, and that the actor’s purpose was limited to any of the following:
(1) Compelling another to refrain from misconduct or to desist from further misconduct.
(2) Preventing or redressing a wrong or injustice.
(3) Preventing another from taking action for which the actor reasonably believed the other person to be disqualified.
(4) Compelling another to take action which the actor reasonably believed the other person to be under a duty to take.
(d) Whoever violates this section is guilty of coercion, a misdemeanor of the second degree.
(e) As used in this section:
(1) “Community control sanction” has the same meaning as in R.C. § 2929.01.
(2) “Threat” includes a direct threat and a threat by innuendo.
(ORC 2905.12)
(a) No person shall abandon, or fail to provide adequate support to:
(1) The person’s spouse, as required by law;
(2) The person’s child who is under age 18, or the persons’s child with a mental or physical disability who is under age 21;
(3) The person’s aged or infirm parent or adoptive parent, who from lack of ability and means is unable to provide adequately for the parent’s own support.
(b) (1) No person shall abandon, or fail to provide support as established by a court order to, another person whom, by court order or decree, the person:
A. Is legally obligated to support; or
B. Was legally obligated to support, and an amount for support:
1. Was due and owing prior to the date the person’s duty to pay current support terminated; and
2. Remains unpaid.
(2) The period of limitation under R.C. § 2901.13 applicable to division (b)(1)B. of this section shall begin to run on the date the person’s duty to pay current support terminates.
(c) No person shall aid, abet, induce, cause, encourage, or contribute to a child or a ward of the juvenile court becoming a dependent child, as defined in Ohio R.C. 2151.04, or a neglected child, as defined in Ohio R.C. 2151.03.
(d) It is an affirmative defense to a charge of failure to provide adequate support under division (a) of this section or a charge of failure to provide support established by a court order under division (b) of this section that the accused was unable to provide adequate support or the established support, but did provide the support that was within his or her ability and means.
(e) It is an affirmative defense to a charge under division (A)(3) of this section that the parent abandoned the accused or failed to support the accused as required by law, while the accused was under age 18, or had a mental or physical disability and was under age 21.
(f) It is not a defense to a charge under division (b) of this section that the person whom a court has ordered the accused to support is being adequately supported by someone other than the accused.
(g) (1) Except as otherwise provided in this division, whoever violates division (a) or (b) of this section is guilty of nonsupport of dependents, a misdemeanor of the first degree. If the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a violation of division (a)(2) or (b) of this section or a substantially equivalent state law or municipal ordinance, or if the offender has failed to provide support under division (a)(2) or (b) of this section for a total accumulated period of 26 weeks out of 104 consecutive weeks, whether or not the 26 weeks were consecutive, then a violation of division (a)(2) or (b) of this section is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate State law. If the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a felony violation of this section or a substantially equivalent state law or municipal ordinance, a violation of division (a)(2) or (b) of this section is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate State law.
(2) If the offender is guilty of nonsupport of dependents by reason of failing to provide support to his or her child as required by a child support order issued on or after April 15, 1985, pursuant to Ohio R.C. 2151.23, 2151.231, 2151.232, 2151.33, 3105.21, 3109.05, 3111.13, 3113.04, 3113.31, 3115.401, or former Ohio R.C. 3115.31, the court, in addition to any other sentence imposed, shall assess all court costs arising out of the charge against the person and require the person to pay any reasonable attorney’s fees of any adverse party other than the State, as determined by the court, that arose in relation to the charge.
(3) Whoever violates division (c) of this section is guilty of contributing to the nonsupport of dependents, a misdemeanor of the first degree. Each day of a violation of division (c) of this section is a separate offense.
(ORC 2919.21)
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