SCS/SBs 901 & 820 - This act establishes "Valentine's Law" which creates the offense of aggravated fleeing a stop or detention of a motor vehicle if the person knows that a law enforcement officer is attempting to detain the vehicle and the person flees at a high speed which creates a substantial risk of serious physical injury or death or actually causes physical injury or death to another person. This shall be a class D felony if the person creates a substantial risk of injury, a class B felony is the person causes physical injury, and a class A felony if the person causes death of another. Additionally, a person is presumed to be fleeing a vehicle stop if he or she has seen or heard or reasonably should have seen or heard emergency lights or sounds. It shall not be a defense that the law enforcement officer was acting unlawfully in making the arrest.
This act is identical to a provision in the truly agreed to and finally passed SS#2/SCS/SB 754 (2024), SCS/HCS/HB 1659 (2024) and similar to provisions in HB 301 (2023) and SB 345 (2021).
MARY GRACE PRINGLE