{"data":{"id":"us-hi/haw.-rev.-stat.-710-1071","jurisdiction":"us-hi","citation":"Haw. Rev. Stat. § 710-1071","heading":"Intimidating a witness.","body":"(1) A person commits the offense of intimidating a witness if he uses force upon or a threat directed to a witness or a person he believes is about to be called as a witness in any official proceeding, with intent to:\n\n(a) Influence the testimony of that person;\n\n(b) Induce that person to avoid legal process summoning him to testify; or\n\n(c) Induce that person to absent himself from an official proceeding to which he has been legally summoned.\n\n(2) \"Threat\" as used in this section means any threat proscribed by section 707-764(1).\n\n(3) Intimidating a witness is a class C felony. [L 1972, c 9, pt of §1; am L 1980, c 267, §2]\n\nCOMMENTARY ON §710-1071\n\nThe potential for harm involved in witness intimidation is essentially similar to that involved in the offense of bribery of a witness, e.g., the undermining of the integrity of an extremely important part of the judicial process. The definition of the offense also parallels that of bribery of a witness, and the sanctions are identical. Note, however, that only the person who directs the force or threat against the witness is guilty of a crime. \"Threat,\" as used in this section is any threat proscribed by the offense of criminal coercion under §707-724. To some extent, it would seem that the section on criminal coercion might suffice to deal with witness intimidation, but since the intimidation of a witness carries the additional harm of interfering with an official proceeding, it seems appropriate to impose a more severe sanction for the present offense.","path":["HI Code","Division 5","Title 37","Chapter 710"],"source_url":"http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol14_Ch0701-0853/HRS0710/HRS_0710-1071.htm","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:11Z","sha256":"a2c6169b6301aa60d2c09b72916ba1bd8c792268e1cf031180e3cccba9116f7f","source_id":"us-hi","stale":false,"prev":"us-hi/haw.-rev.-stat.-710-1069.5","next":"us-hi/haw.-rev.-stat.-710-1072"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}