39-11-502 - Ignorance or mistake of fact. - Tennessee Statutes

39-11-502. Ignorance or mistake of fact.

(a)  Except in prosecutions for violations of §§ 39-13-504(a)(4) and 39-13-522, ignorance or mistake of fact is a defense to prosecution if the ignorance or mistake negates the culpable mental state of the charged offense.

(b)  Although a person's ignorance or mistake of fact may constitute a defense to the offense charged, the person may be convicted of the offense for which the person would be guilty if the fact were as the person believed.

[Acts 1989, ch. 591, § 1; 1995, ch. 495, § 1.]