GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2019

SESSION LAW 2019-134

HOUSE BILL 138

AN ACT to increase the punishment for willfully interfering with, damaging, defacing, molesting, or injuring any part or portion of a fire‑alarm, fire‑detection, smoke‑detection, or fire‑extinguishing system in a prison or local confinement facility.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 14‑286 reads as rewritten:

"§ 14‑286.  Giving false fire alarms; molesting fire‑alarm, fire‑detection or fire‑extinguishing system.

(a) Offense. – It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to wantonly and willfully give or cause to be given, or to advise, counsel, or aid and abet anyone in giving, a false alarm of fire, or to break the glass key protector, or to pull the slide, arm, or lever of any station or signal box of any fire‑alarm system, except in case of fire, or willfully misuse or damage a portable fire extinguisher, or in any way to willfully interfere with, damage, deface, molest, or injure any part or portion of any fire‑alarm, fire‑detection, smoke‑detection or fire‑extinguishing system.

(b) Penalty. – Any person who willfully interferes with, damages, defaces, molests, or injures any part or portion of a fire‑alarm, fire‑detection, smoke‑detection, or fire‑extinguishing system in a prison or local confinement facility is guilty of a Class H felony. Any person violating any of the provisions who commits any other violation of this section shall be is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor. For purposes of this subsection, the term "local confinement facility" means a county or city jail, a local lockup, or a detention facility for adults operated by a local government."

SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective December 1, 2019, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 9^th day of July, 2019.

                                                                    s/  Ralph E. Hise

                                                                         Presiding Officer of the Senate

                                                                    s/  Tim Moore

                                                                         Speaker of the House of Representatives

                                                                    s/  Roy Cooper

                                                                         Governor

Approved 1:38 p.m. this 19^th day of July, 2019