§ 11-42-4 - Threats to public officials. - Rhode Island Statutes

SECTION 11-42-4

   § 11-42-4  Threats to public officials.– (a) Whoever knowingly and willfully delivers or conveys, directly orindirectly, a verbal or written threat to take the life of, or to inflictbodily harm upon, a public official or a member of his or her immediate familybecause of the performance or nonperformance of some public duty, because ofhostility of the person making the threat toward the status or position of thepublic official, or because of some other factor related to the official'spublic existence, shall be guilty of a felony and shall be imprisoned for notmore than five (5) years, or fined not more than five thousand dollars($5,000), or both.

   (b) For purposes of this section:

   (1) "Public official" means a person who is elected orappointed to office in accordance with the constitution, a statute, or a cityor town charter, or who is a judge, assistant attorney general, specialassistant attorney general, or law enforcement officer, or in the case of anelective office any person who has filed the required documents for nominationor election to that office or who is appointed by the governor to serve as thedirector or his or her designee of a state department which is established, andthe qualifications and duties of which are prescribed by statute to discharge apublic duty for the state of Rhode Island;

   (2) "Immediate family" means a public official's spouse,child, or children.