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537.09 COERCION.
   (a)   No person, with purpose to coerce another into taking or refraining from action concerning which he has a legal freedom of choice, shall do any of the following:
      (1)   Threaten to commit any offense;
      (2)   Utter or threaten any calumny against any person;
      (3)   Expose or threaten to expose any matter tending to subject any person to hatred, contempt or ridicule, or to damage his personal or business repute, or to impair his 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)   Subsections (a)(4) and (5) hereof 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 he 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 probation on certain conditions, including without limitation requiring the offender to make restitution or redress to the victim of his offense.
   (c)   It is an affirmative defense to a charge under subsection (a)(3), (4) or (5) hereof that the actor's conduct was a reasonable response to the circumstances which occasioned it, and that his purpose was limited to:
      (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 such other person to be disqualified;
      (4)   Compelling another to take action which the actor reasonably believed such 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 “threat” includes a direct threat and a threat by innuendo.
(ORC 2905.12)
537.10 TELECOMMUNICATION HARASSMENT.
   (a)   No person shall knowingly make or cause to be made a telecommunication, or knowingly permit telecommunication to be made from a telecommunications device under his control, to another, if the caller/sender does any of the following:
      (1)   Fails to identify herself/himself to the recipient of the telecommunication and makes the telecommunication with purpose to harass, or abuse, any person at the premises to which the telecommunication is made, whether or not actual communication takes place between the caller/sender and a recipient;
      (2)   Describes, suggests, requests or proposes that the caller/sender, the recipient of the telecommunication, or any other person engage in any sexual activity, and the recipient, or another person at the premises to which the telecommunication is made has requested, in a previous telecommunication or in the immediate telecommunication, that the caller/sender not make a telecommunication to the recipient or to the premises to which the telecommunication is made;
      (3)   During the telecommunication, violates Ohio R.C. 2903.21;
      (4)   Knowingly states to the recipient of the telecommunication that the caller/sender intends to cause damage to or destroy public or private property, and the recipient, any member of the recipient’s family, or any other person who resides at the premises to which the telecommunication call is made owns, leases, resides, or works in, will at the time of the destruction or damaging be near or in, has the responsibility of protecting, or insures the property that will be destroyed or damaged;
      (5)   Knowingly makes the telecommunication to the recipient of the telecommunication, to another person at the premises to which the telecommunication is made, or to those premises, and the recipient or another person at those premises previously has told the caller/sender not to make a telecommunication to those premises or to any person at those premises.
   (b)   No person shall make or cause to be made a telecommunication, or permit a telecommunication to be made from a telecommunications device under his control, with purpose to abuse, threaten, or harass another person.
   (c)   As used in this section, “telecommunication” and “telecommunications device” shall have the same meaning as in Section 545.01.
   (d)   Whoever violates this section is guilty of telephone harassment, a misdemeanor of the first degree, if the offender has not previously been convicted of a violation of this section or Ohio R.C. 2917.21. (Ord. 58-06. Passed 10-2-06.)
   
537.11 THREATENING OR HARASSING TELEPHONE CALLS.
   (a)   No person shall, while communicating with any other person over a telephone, threaten to do bodily harm or use or address to such other person any words or language of a lewd, lascivious or indecent character, nature or connotation for the sole purpose of annoying such other person; nor shall any person telephone any other person repeatedly or cause any person to be telephoned repeatedly for the sole purpose of harassing or molesting such other person or his family.
   Any use, communication or act prohibited by this section may be deemed to have occurred or to have been committed at either the place at which the telephone call was made or was received.
(ORC 4931.31)
   (b)   Whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree.
(ORC 4931.99 (H))
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