537.03 ASSAULT.
(a) No person shall knowingly cause or attempt to cause physical harm to another or to another’s unborn.
(b) No person shall recklessly cause serious physical harm to another or to another’s unborn.
(c) (1) Whoever violates this section is guilty of assault, a misdemeanor of the first degree, and the court shall sentence the offender as provided in subsection (c) hereof. If the assault was committed under the circumstances provided in subsection (c)(2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8) or (9) hereof, assault is a felony and shall be prosecuted under appropriate State law.
(2) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, if the offense is committed by a caretaker against a functionally impaired person under the caretaker’s care, the assault is a felony and shall be prosecuted under appropriate State law.
(3) If the offense occurs in or on the grounds of a State correctional institution or an institution of the Department of Youth Services, the victim of the offense is an employee of the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction or the Department of Youth Services, and the offense is committed by a person incarcerated in the State correctional institution or by a person institutionalized in the Department of Youth Services Institution pursuant to a commitment to the Department of Youth Services.
(4) If the offense is committed in any of the following circumstances:
A. The offense occurs in or on the grounds of a local correctional facility, the victim of the offense is an employee of the local correctional facility or a probation department or is on the premises of the facility for business purposes or as a visitor, and the offense is committed by a person who is under custody in the facility subsequent to the person’s arrest for any crime or delinquent act, subsequent to the person’s being charged with or convicted of any crime, or subsequent to the person’s being alleged to be or adjudicated a delinquent child.
B. The offense occurs off the grounds of a State correctional institution and off the grounds of an institution of the Department of Youth Services, the victim of the offense is an employee of the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, the Department of Youth Services, or a probation department, the offense occurs during the employee’s official work hours and while the employee is engaged in official work responsibilities, and the offense is committed by a person incarcerated in a State correctional institution or institutionalized in the Department of Youth Services who temporarily is outside of the institution for any purpose, by a parolee, by an offender under transitional control, under a community control sanction, or on an escorted visit, by a person under post-release control, or by an offender under any other type of supervision by a government agency.
C. The offense occurs off the grounds of a local correctional facility, the victim of the offense is an employee of the local correctional facility or a probation department, the offense occurs during the employee’s official work hours and while the employee is engaged in official work responsibilities, and the offense is committed by a person who is under custody in the facility subsequent to the person’s arrest for any crime or delinquent act, subsequent to the person being charged with or convicted of any crime, or subsequent to the person being alleged to be or adjudicated a delinquent child and who temporarily is outside of the facility for any purpose or by a parolee, by an offender under transitional control, under a community control sanction, or on an escorted visit, by a person under post-release control, or by an offender under any other type of supervision by a government agency.
D. The victim of the offense is a school teacher or administrator or a school bus operator, and the offense occurs in a school, on school premises, in a school building, on a school bus or while the victim is outside of school premises or a school bus and is engaged in duties or official responsibilities associated with the victim’s employment or position as a school teacher or administrator or a school bus operator, including, but not limited to, driving, accompanying, or chaperoning students at or on class or field trips, athletic events, or other school extracurricular activities or functions outside of school premises.
(5) If the victim of the offense is a peace officer or an investigator of the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, a firefighter, or a person performing emergency medical service, while in the performance of their official duties.
(6) If the victim of the offense is a peace officer or an investigator of the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation and if the victim suffered serious physical harm as a result of the commission of the offense.
(7) 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.
(8) If the victim of the offense is a health care professional of a hospital, a health care worker of a hospital, or a security officer of a hospital whom the offender knows or has reasonable cause to know is a health care professional of a hospital; a health care worker of a hospital, or a security officer of a hospital, if the victim is engaged in the performance of the victim’s duties, and if the hospital offers de-escalation or crisis intervention training for such professionals, workers or officers, assault is one of the following:
A. Except as otherwise provided in subsection (c)(8)B. of this section, assault committed in the specified circumstances is a misdemeanor of the first degree. Notwithstanding the fine specified in division (A)(2)(b) of Ohio R.C. 2929.28 for a misdemeanor of the first degree, in sentencing the offender under this subsection and if the court decides to impose a fine, the court may impose upon the offender a fine of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000).
B. If the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to one or more assault or homicide offenses committed against hospital personnel, assault committed in the specified circumstances is a felony.
(9) If the victim of the offense is a judge, magistrate, prosecutor or court official or employee whom the offender knows or has reasonable cause to know is a judge, magistrate, prosecutor or court official or employee, and if the victim is engaged in the performance of the victim’s duties, assault is one of the following:
A. Except as otherwise provided in subsection (c)(9)B. of this section, assault committed in the specified circumstances is a misdemeanor of the first degree. In sentencing the offender under this subsection, if the court decides to impose a fine, notwithstanding the fine specified in division (A)(2)(b) of Ohio R.C. 2929.28 for a misdemeanor of the first degree, the court may impose upon the offender a fine of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000).
B. If the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to one or more assault or homicide offenses committed against justice system personnel, assault committed in the specified circumstances is a felony.
(10) If an offender who is convicted of or pleads guilty to assault when it is a misdemeanor also is convicted of or pleads guilty to a specification as described in Ohio R.C. 2941.1423 that was included in the indictment, count in the indictment or information charging the offense, the court shall sentence the offender to a mandatory jail term as provided in division (G) of Ohio R.C. 2929.24.
(11) A prosecution for a violation of subsections (a) or (b) of this section does not preclude a prosecution for 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 subsections (a) or (b) of this section or any other section of the Ohio Revised Code may be prosecuted under subsections (a) or (b) of this section, the other sections of the Ohio Revised Code, or both sections. However, if an offender is convicted of or pleads guilty to a violation of subsections (a) or (b) of this section and also is convicted of or pleads guilty to a violation of Ohio R.C. 2903.22, or any substantially equivalent municipal ordinance, based on the same conduct involving the same victim that was the basis of the violation of subsections (a) or (b) of this section, the offenses are allied offenses of similar import under Ohio R.C. 2941.25.
(d) As used in this section:
(1) “Peace officer” has the same meaning as in Ohio R.C. 2935.01.
(2) “Firefighter” has the same meaning as in Ohio R.C. 3937.41.
(3) “Emergency medical service” has the same meaning as in Ohio R.C. 4765.01.
(4) “Local correctional facility” means a county, multicounty, municipal, municipal-county or multicounty-municipal jail or workhouse. A minimum security jail established under Ohio R.C. 341.23 or 753.21, or another county, multicounty, municipal, municipal-county, or multicounty- municipal facility used for the custody of persons arrested for any crime or delinquent act, persons charged with or convicted of any crime, or persons alleged to be or adjudicated a delinquent child.
(5) “Employee of a local correctional facility” means a person who is an employee of the political subdivision or of one or more of the affiliated political subdivisions that operates the local correctional facility and who operates or assists in the operation of the facility.
(6) “School teacher or administrator” means either of the following:
A. A person who is employed in the public schools of the State under a contract described in Ohio R.C. 3311.77 or 3319.08 in a position in which the person is required to have a certificate issued pursuant to Ohio R.C. 3319.22 to 3319.311.
B. A person who is employed by a nonpublic school for which the Director of Education and Workforce prescribes minimum standards under Ohio R.C. 3301.07 and who is certified in accordance with Ohio R.C. 3301.071.
(7) “Community control sanction” has the same meaning as in Ohio R.C. 2929.01.
(8) “Escorted visit” means an escorted visit granted under Ohio R.C. 2967.27.
(9) “Post-release control” and “transitional control” have the same meanings as in Ohio R.C. 2967.01.
(10) “Investigator of the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation” has the same meaning as in Ohio R.C. 2903.11.
(11) “Health care professional” and “health care worker” have the same meanings as in Ohio R.C. 2305.234.
(12) “Assault or homicide offense committed against hospital personnel” means a violation of this section or Ohio R.C. 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.041, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13 or 2903.14 committed in circumstances in which all of the following apply:
A. The victim of the offense was a health care professional of a hospital, a health care worker of a hospital or a security officer of a hospital.
B. The offender knew or had reasonable cause to know that the victim was a health care professional of a hospital, a health care worker of a hospital, or a security officer of a hospital;
C. The victim was engaged in the performance of the victim’s duties.
D. The hospital offered de-escalation or crisis intervention training for such professionals, workers or officers.
(13) “De-escalation or crisis intervention training” means de-escalation or crisis intervention training for health care professionals of a hospital, health care workers of a hospital, and security officers of a hospital to facilitate interaction with patients, members of a patient’s family, and visitors, including those with mental impairments.
(14) “Assault or homicide offense committed against justice system personnel” means a violation of this section or of Ohio R.C. 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.041, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13 or 2903.14 committed in circumstances in which the victim of the offense was a judge, magistrate, prosecutor, or court official or employee whom the offender knew or had reasonable cause to know was a judge, magistrate, prosecutor, or court official or employee, and the victim was engaged in the performance of the victim’s duties.
(15) “Court official or employee” means any official or employee of a court created under the constitution or statutes of this State or of a United States court located in this State.
(16) “Judge” means a judge of a court created under the constitution or statutes of this State or of a United States court located in this State.
(17) “Magistrate” means an individual who is appointed by a court of record of this State and who has the powers and may perform the functions specified in Civil Rule 53, Criminal Rule 19, or Juvenile Rule 40, or an individual who is appointed by a United States court located in this State who has similar powers and functions.
(18) “Prosecutor” has the same meaning as in Ohio R.C. 2935.01.
(19) A. “Hospital” means, subject to subsection (d)(19)B. of this section, an institution classified as a hospital under Ohio R.C. 3701.01 in which are provided to patients diagnostic, medical, surgical, obstetrical, psychiatric, or rehabilitation care or a hospital operated by a health maintenance organization.
B. “Hospital” does not include any of the following:
1. A facility licensed under Ohio R.C. Chapter 3721, a health care facility operated by the Department of Mental Health or the Department of Developmental Disabilities, a health maintenance organization that does not operate a hospital, or the office of any private, licensed health care professional, whether organized for individual or group practice;
2. An institution for the sick that is operated exclusively for patients who use spiritual means for healing and for whom the acceptance of medical care is inconsistent with their religious beliefs, accredited by a national accrediting organization, exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501 of the “Internal Revenue Code of 1986", 100 Stat. 2085, 26 U.S.C. 1, as amended, and providing twenty-four-hour nursing care pursuant to the exemption in division (E) of Ohio R.C. 4723.32 from the licensing requirements of Ohio R.C. Chapter 4723.
(20) “Health maintenance organization” has the same meaning as in Ohio R.C. 3727.01.
(21) “Emergency service responder” means any law enforcement officer, first responder, emergency medical technician-basic, emergency medical technician-intermediate, emergency medical technician-paramedic, firefighter, or volunteer firefighter.
(22) “Family or household member” means any of the following:
A. Any of the following who is residing or has resided with a person who is employed as an emergency service responder:
1. A spouse, a person living as a spouse, or a former spouse of a person who is employed as an emergency service responder;
2. A parent, a foster parent, or a child of a person who is employed as an emergency service responder, or another person related by consanguinity or affinity to a person who is employed as an emergency service responder;
3. A parent or a child of a spouse, person living as a spouse, or former spouse of a person who is employed as an emergency service responder, or another person related by consanguinity or affinity to a spouse, person living as a spouse, or former spouse of a person who is employed as an emergency service responder.
B. The natural parent of any child of whom a person who is employed as an emergency service responder is the other natural parent or is the putative other natural parent.
(23) “First responder”, “emergency medical technician-basic”, “emergency medical technician-intermediate” and “emergency medical technician-paramedic” have the same meanings as in Ohio R.C. 4765.01.
(24) “Volunteer firefighter” has the same meaning as in Ohio R.C. 146.01.
(25) “Person living as a spouse” means a person who is living or has lived with a person who is employed as an emergency service responder in a common law marital relationship, who otherwise is cohabiting with a person who is employed as an emergency service responder, or who otherwise has cohabited with a person who is employed as an emergency service responder within five years prior to the date of the alleged commission of the act in question.
(26) “Co-worker” means a person who is employed by the organization or entity that is served by a person who is employed as an emergency service responder. (ORC 2903.13)