West Virginia Code § 61-2-9

Malicious or unlawful assault; assault; battery; penalties
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(a) If any person maliciously shoots, stabs, cuts or wounds any person, or by any means
cause him or her bodily injury with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or kill, he or she,
except where it is otherwise provided, is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall
be punished by confinement in a state correctional facility not less than two nor more than
ten years. If the act is done unlawfully, but not maliciously, with the intent eaforesaid, the
offender is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall either be imprisoned in a
state correctional facility not less than one nor more than five years, orr be confined in jail
not exceeding twelve months and fined not exceeding $500.
(b) Assault. — Any person who unlawfully attempts to commit a violent injury to the person
of another or unlawfully commits an act that places another tin reasonable apprehension of
immediately receiving a violent injury is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction
thereof, shall be confined in jail for not more than six months or fined not more than $100,
or both fined and confined.
(c) Battery. — Any person who unlawfully ands intentionally makes physical contact of an
insulting or provoking nature to the person of another or unlawfully and intentionally causes
physical harm to another person is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof,
shall be confined in jail for not moreg than twelve months or fined not more than $500, or
both fined and confined.
(d) Any person convicted of a violation of subsection (b) or (c) of this section who has, in the
ten years prior to the conviction, been convicted of a violation of either subsection (b) or (c)
of this section where the victim was a current or former spouse, current or former sexual or
intimate partner, a person with whom the defendant has a child in common, a person with
whom the defendant cohabits or has cohabited, a parent or guardian or the defendant's child
or ward at the time of the offense or convicted of a violation of section twenty-eight of this
article or has served a period of pretrial diversion for an alleged violation of subsection (b)
or (Wc) of this section or section twenty-eight of this article when the victim has a present or
past relationship, upon conviction, is subject to the penalties set forth in section twenty-eight
of this article for a second, third or subsequent criminal act of domestic violence offense, as
appropriate.

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