Art. 573.1. Running of time limitations; exception; persons with infirmities

            A. The time limitations established by Article 572 shall not commence to run as to any crime wherein the victim is a person with infirmities until the crime is discovered by a competent victim, or in the case of an incompetent victim, by a law enforcement officer. This shall include but is not limited to the crimes of simple battery of persons with infirmities (R.S. 14:35.2), cruelty to persons with infirmities (R.S. 14:93.3), exploitation of persons with infirmities (R.S. 14:93.4), sexual battery of persons with infirmities (R.S. 14:93.5), and abuse of persons with infirmities through electronic means (R.S. 14:283.3).

            B.(1) "Law enforcement officer" shall mean any employee of the state, a political subdivision, a municipality, a sheriff, or other public agency whose permanent duties include the making of arrests, the performing of searches and seizures, or the execution of criminal warrants, and who is responsible for the prevention or detection of crime or for the enforcement of the penal, traffic, or highway laws of this state.

            (2) "Person with infirmities" shall mean a person who suffers from a mental or physical disability, including those associated with advanced age, which renders the person incapable of adequately providing for his personal care. The term "person with infirmities" may include but is not limited to any individual who is an outpatient or resident of a nursing home, facility for persons with intellectual disabilities, mental health facility, hospital, or other residential facility, or a recipient of home or community-based care or services.

            Acts 2010, No. 317, §1; Acts 2014, No. 811, §31, eff. June 23, 2014; Acts 2021, No. 72, §1.