1. 1. A person commits the crime of patronizing prostitution if he patronizes prostitution.
2. 2. It shall not be an affirmative defense that the defendant believed that the person he or she patronized for prostitution was eighteen years of age or older.
3. 3. Patronizing prostitution is a class B misdemeanor, unless the individual who the person is patronizing is under the age of eighteen but older than the age of fourteen, in which case patronizing prostitution is a class A misdemeanor.

4. 4. Patronizing prostitution is a class D felony if the individual who the person patronizes is fourteen years of age or younger. Nothing in this section shall preclude the prosecution of an individual for the offenses of:

   1. (1) Statutory rape in the first degree pursuant to section 566.032;
   2. (2) Statutory rape in the second degree pursuant to section 566.034;
   3. (3) Statutory sodomy in the first degree pursuant to section 566.062; or
   4. (4) Statutory sodomy in the second degree pursuant to section 566.064.

(L. 1977 S.B. 60, A.L. 2004 H.B. 1487)

*This section was amended by S.B. 491, 2014, effective 1-01-17. Due to the delayed effective date, both versions of this section are printed here.