Jefferson County, MO Offenses Affecting Public Safety Attorney

A person commits the offense of abandoning a vehicle, vessel, or trailer if he or she knowingly abandons any vehicle, vessel, or trailer on: (1) The right-of-way of any public road or state highway; (2) On or in any of the waters in this state; (3) On the banks of any stream; (4) On any land or water owned, operated or leased by the state, any board, department, agency or commission thereof, or any political subdivision thereof; (5) On any land or water owned, operated or leased by the federal government; or (6) On any private real property owned by another without his or her consent.

The offense of abandoning a vehicle, vessel, or trailer is a class A misdemeanor.

A person commits the offense of damaging state park property if he or she: (1) Knowingly places or deposits waste paper, tin cans, bottles, or rubbish of any kind within a state park; (2) Contaminates, in any manner, any spring, pool, or stream within a state park; (3) Cuts, prunes, picks, defaces, or injures, in any manner, the flowers, trees, shrubs, or any other flora growing on the land or in the water of any state park except as performed or directed by authorized personnel of the department of natural resources; or (4) Removes, injures, disfigures, defaces, or destroys an object of archaeological or historical value or interest within a state park except as performed or directed by authorized personnel of the department of natural resources.

The offense of damaging state park property is a class C misdemeanor.

A person commits the offense of failure to comply with ignition interlock device requirements if he or she knowingly operates a motor vehicle that is not equipped with a functioning certified ignition interlock device in violation of a court, or department of revenue, order to use such a device.

The offense of failure to comply with ignition interlock device requirements is a class A misdemeanor.

A person commits the offense of failure to notify another of ignition interlock requirements if he or she is required to use an ignition interlock device on all vehicles he or she operates and he or she knowingly fails to notify any other person who rents, leases or loans a vehicle to that person of such requirement.

The offense of failing to notify another of ignition interlock requirements is a class A misdemeanor.

A person commits the offense of failure to report a shooting when: (1) Being in possession of a firearm or projectile weapon, he or she discharges such firearm or projectile weapon and causes injury or death to another person; and (2) Knowing that he or she has caused such injury or death, fails to report such shooting to a law enforcement officer. If no such officer is in the vicinity where the shooting occurs, the person must provide such information to the nearest law enforcement agency.

Failure to report a shooting is: (1) A class A misdemeanor; or (2) A class E felony if the person has previously been found guilty of a violation of this section or any offense committed in another jurisdiction which, if committed in this state, would be a violation of an offense described in this section.

A person commits the offense of negligent operation of a vessel if when operating a vessel he or she acts with criminal negligence, as defined in subsection 5 of section 562.016, to cause physical injury to any other person or damage to the property of any other person.

A person convicted of negligent operation of a vessel is guilty of a class B misdemeanor upon conviction for the first violation, guilty of a class A misdemeanor upon conviction for the second violation, and guilty of a class E felony for conviction for the third and subsequent violations.

A person commits the offense of tampering with a water supply if he or she purposely: (1) Poisons, defiles or in any way corrupts the water of a well, spring, brook or reservoir used for domestic or municipal purposes; or (2) Diverts, dams up and holds back from its natural course and flow any spring, brook or other water supply for domestic or municipal purposes, after said water supply shall have once been taken for use by any person or persons, corporation, town or city for their use.

The offense of tampering with a water supply is a class A misdemeanor.

A person commits the offense of tampering with or circumventing the operation of an ignition interlock device if: (1) His or her driving privilege is restricted by a prohibition on the operation of any vehicle unless that vehicle is equipped with a functioning, certified ignition interlock device, and he or she knowingly requests or solicits any other person to blow into an ignition interlock device or to start a vehicle equipped with the device for the purpose of providing the person so restricted with an operable vehicle; or (2) He or she blows into an ignition interlock device or starts a vehicle equipped with the device for the purpose of providing an operable vehicle to a person whose driving privilege is restricted pursuant to the provisions of this chapter or chapter 302 by a prohibition on the operation of any vehicle unless that vehicle is equipped with a functioning, certified ignition interlock device; or (3) He or she tampers with, or circumvents the operation of, an ignition interlock device.

The offense of tampering with or circumventing the operation of an ignition interlock device is a class A misdemeanor.

A person commits the offense of unlawful disposition of a dead animal if he or she knowingly places or causes to be placed the carcass or offal of any dead animal: (1) Into any well, spring, brook, branch, creek, pond, or lake; or (2) On any public road or highway, river, stream, or watercourse or upon premises not his or her own for the purpose of annoying another or others.

The offense of unlawful disposition of a dead animal is a class C misdemeanor.

A person commits the offense of unlawful release of anhydrous ammonia if he or she is not the owner or not in lawful control of an approved container of anhydrous ammonia and knowingly releases or allows the escape of anhydrous ammonia into the atmosphere.

The offense of unlawful release of anhydrous ammonia is a class B felony, unless such release causes serious physical injury or death to any person in which case it is a class A felony.

A person commits the offense of criminal water contamination if such person knowingly introduces any dangerous radiological, chemical or biological agent or substance into any public or private waters of the state or any water supply with the purpose of causing death or serious physical injury to another person.

The offense of criminal water contamination is a class B felony.

A person commits the offense of leaving the scene of an accident when: (1) Being the operator of a vehicle or a vessel involved in an accident resulting in injury or death or damage to property of another person; and (2) Having knowledge of such accident he or she leaves the place of the injury, damage or accident without stopping and giving the following information to the other party or to a law enforcement officer, or if no law enforcement officer is in the vicinity, then to the nearest law enforcement agency: (a) His or her name; (b) His or her residence, including city and street number; (c) The registration or license number for his or her vehicle or vessel; and (d) His or her operator’s license number, if any.

The offense of leaving the scene of an accident is: (1) A class A misdemeanor; or (2) A class E felony if: (a) Physical injury was caused to another party; or (b) Damage in excess of one thousand dollars was caused to the property of another person; or (c) The defendant has previously been found guilty of any offense in violation of this section; or committed in another jurisdiction which, if committed in this state, would be a violation of an offense of this section.