(1) A person is guilty of assault of a sports official when he intentionally causes physical injury to a sports official:
- (a) Who was performing sports official duties at the time the physical injury was
- (b) perpetrated; or If the physical injury occurs while the sports official is arriving at or departing from the athletic facility at which the athletic event occurred.
- (2) For the purposes of this section, "sports official" means an individual who serves as a referee, umpire, linesman, or in a similar capacity that may be known by another title, and who is duly registered as or is a member of a national, state, regional, or local organization engaged, in part, in providing education and training to sports officials.
- (3) A person who is guilty of assault of a sports official shall, for a first offense, be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor, unless the defendant assembles with five (5) or more persons for the purpose of assaulting a sports official, in which case it is a Class D felony.
- (4) A person who is guilty of assault of a sport official shall, for a second or subsequent offense, be guilty of a Class D felony.
Effective: July 15, 1998
History: Created 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 508, sec. 1, effective July 15, 1998.