§34.4. Battery of a school or recreation athletic contest official

            A.(1) Battery of a school or recreation athletic contest official is a battery committed without the consent of the victim when the offender has reasonable grounds to believe the victim is a school athletic or recreation contest official actively engaged in the conducting, supervising, refereeing, or officiating of a school-sanctioned interscholastic athletic contest or a sanctioned recreation athletic contest.

            (2) For purposes of this Section, "school athletic contest official" means any referee, umpire, coach, instructor, administrator, staff person, or school or school board employee of any public or private elementary and secondary school.

            (3) For purposes of this Section, "recreation athletic contest official" means any referee, umpire, coach, instructor, administrator, staff person, or recreation employee of any public or quasi public recreation program.

            B.(1) Whoever commits the crime of battery of a school or recreation athletic contest official shall be fined not less than one thousand dollars and not more than five thousand dollars and imprisoned not less than five days nor more than six months without benefit of suspension of sentence.

            (2) Whoever commits the crime of battery of a school or recreation athletic contest official which results in serious bodily injury to the victim shall be fined not less than one thousand dollars and not more than five thousand dollars and imprisoned for not less than ten days nor more than six months.

            (3)(a) In addition to any other penalty imposed, the court shall order the offender to perform forty hours of court-approved community service work.

            (b) In addition to any other penalty imposed, the court shall order the offender to participate in a court-approved counseling program which may include anger management, abusive behavior intervention groups, or any other type of counseling deemed appropriate by the court. Any costs associated with the counseling program shall be borne by the offender.

            (c) Participation in the community service and counseling program required by the provisions of Subparagraphs (a) and (b) of this Paragraph shall not be suspended.

            (d) Failure to successfully complete the community service work and counseling program, as determined by the supervisor of the program to which he is assigned, may result in revocation of probation.

            Acts 1990, No. 675, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1046, §1; Acts 2014, No. 815, §1; Acts 2019, No. 2, §1.