Does Assault against an EMS worker in Mississippi amount to felony
Full Question:
Answer:
In general, a felony is an offense for which a sentence to a term of imprisonment in excess of one year is authorized. Felonies are serious crimes, such as murder, rape, or burglary, punishable by a harsher sentence than that given for a misdemeanor.
Missisippi law defines felony in § 1-3-11 of its code as follows: The term "felony," when used in any statute, shall mean any violation of law punished with death or confinement in the penitentiary. According to Miss. URCCC Rule 6.01 a misdemeanor is a criminal offense punishable by a maximum possible sentence of confinement for one year or less, fine, or both.
According to Miss. Code Ann. § 97-3-7, a person guilty of simple assault against a Emergency Medical personnel, on conviction shall be punished by a fine of not more than One Thousand Dollars ($ 1,000.00) or by imprisonment for not more than five (5) years, or both. A person guilty of aggravated assault against a Emergency Medical personnel, on conviction shall be punished by a fine of not more than Five Thousand Dollars ($ 5,000.00) or by imprisonment for not more than thirty (30) years, or both. Therefore Assaulting an EMS worker is a felony is Mississippi.
Miss. Code Ann. § 97-3-7 reads as follows:
§ 97-3-7. Simple assault; aggravated assault; domestic violence
(1) A person is guilty of simple assault if he (a) attempts to cause or purposely, knowingly or recklessly causes bodily injury to another; or (b) negligently causes bodily injury to another with a deadly weapon or other means likely to produce death or serious bodily harm; or (c) attempts by physical menace to put another in fear of imminent serious bodily harm; and, upon conviction, he shall be punished by a fine of not more than Five Hundred Dollars ($ 500.00) or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six (6) months, or both.
However, a person convicted of simple assault (a) upon a statewide elected official, law enforcement officer, fireman, emergency medical personnel, public health personnel, social worker or family protection specialist or family protection worker employed by the Department of Human Services or another agency, youth detention center personnel, training school juvenile care worker, any county or municipal jail officer, superintendent, principal, teacher or other instructional personnel, school attendance officer, school bus driver, or a judge of a circuit, chancery, county, justice, municipal or youth court or a judge of the Court of Appeals or a justice of the Supreme Court, district attorney, legal assistant to a district attorney, county prosecutor, municipal prosecutor, court reporter employed by a court, court administrator, clerk or deputy clerk of the court, or public defender, while such statewide elected official, judge or justice, law enforcement officer, fireman, emergency medical personnel, public health personnel, social worker, family protection specialist, family protection worker, youth detention center personnel, training school juvenile care worker, any county or municipal jail officer, superintendent, principal, teacher or other instructional personnel, school attendance officer, school bus driver, district attorney, legal assistant to a district attorney, county prosecutor, municipal prosecutor, court reporter employed by a court, court administrator, clerk or deputy clerk of the court, or public defender is acting within the scope of his duty, office or employment; (b) upon a legislator while the Legislature is in regular or extraordinary session or while otherwise acting within the scope of his duty, office or employment; or (c) upon a person who is sixty-five (65) years of age or older or a person who is a vulnerable adult as defined in Section 43-47-5, shall be punished by a fine of not more than One Thousand Dollars ($ 1,000.00) or by imprisonment for not more than five (5) years, or both.
(2) A person is guilty of aggravated assault if he (a) attempts to cause serious bodily injury to another, or causes such injury purposely, knowingly or recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life; or (b) attempts to cause or purposely or knowingly causes bodily injury to another with a deadly weapon or other means likely to produce death or serious bodily harm; and, upon conviction, he shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one (1) year or in the Penitentiary for not more than twenty (20) years.
However, a person convicted of aggravated assault (a) upon a statewide elected official, law enforcement officer, fireman, emergency medical personnel, public health personnel, social worker, family protection specialist, family protection worker employed by the Department of Human Services or another agency, youth detention center personnel, training school juvenile care worker, any county or municipal jail officer, superintendent, principal, teacher or other instructional personnel, school attendance officer, school bus driver, or a judge of a circuit, chancery, county, justice, municipal or youth court or a judge of the Court of Appeals or a justice of the Supreme Court, district attorney, legal assistant to a district attorney, county prosecutor, municipal prosecutor, court reporter employed by a court, court administrator, clerk or deputy clerk of the court, or public defender, while such statewide elected official, judge or justice, law enforcement officer, fireman, emergency medical personnel, public health personnel, social worker, family protection specialist, family protection worker, youth detention center personnel, training school juvenile care worker, any county or municipal jail officer, superintendent, principal, teacher or other instructional personnel, school attendance officer, school bus driver, district attorney, legal assistant to a district attorney, county prosecutor, municipal prosecutor, court reporter employed by a court, court administrator, clerk or deputy clerk of the court, or public defender is acting within the scope of his duty, office or employment; (b) upon a legislator while the Legislature is in regular or extraordinary session or while otherwise acting within the scope of his duty, office or employment; or (c) upon a person who is sixty-five (65) years of age or older or a person who is a vulnerable adult as defined in Section 43-47-5, shall be punished by a fine of not more than Five Thousand Dollars ($ 5,000.00) or by imprisonment for not more than thirty (30) years, or both.
