{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-524.040","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 524.040","heading":"Intimidating a participant in the legal process.","body":"(1) A person is guilty of intimidating a participant in the legal process when, by use of\nharassing communications as described in KRS 525.080, physical force, or a threat\ndirected to a person he or she believes to be a participant in the legal process, he or\nshe:\n(a) Influences, or attempts to influence, the testimony, vote, decision, or opinion\nof that person;\n(b) Induces, or attempts to induce, that person to avoid legal process summoning\nhim or her to testify;\n(c) Induces, or attempts to induce, that person  to absent himself or herself from\nan official proceeding to which he has been legally summoned;\n(d) Induces, or attempts to induce, that person to withhold a record, document, or\nother object from an official proceeding;\n(e) Induces, or attempts to induce , that person to alter, destroy, mutilate, or\nconceal an object with intent to impair the object's integrity or availability for\nuse in an official proceeding; or\n(f) Hinders, delays, or prevents the communication to a law enforcement officer\nor judge of information relating to the possible commission of an offense or a\nviolation of conditions of probation, parole or release pending judicial\nproceedings.\n(2) For purposes of this section:\n(a) An official proceeding need not be pending or about to be institut ed at the\ntime of the offense; and\n(b) The testimony, record, document, or other object need not be admissible in\nevidence or free of a claim of privilege.\n(3) Intimidating a participant in the legal process is a Class D felony.\n(4) In order for a person to be convicted of a violation of this section, the act against a\nparticipant in the legal process or the immediate family of a participant in the legal\nprocess shall be related to the performance of a duty or role played by the\nparticipant in the legal process.","path":["KRS Chapter 524"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=55472","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T21:00:03Z","sha256":"43324561f0c3e16cc9b58b0c4eb4454288f5a3635906e831438b44a1bde507c3","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-524.030","next":"us-ky/krs-524.045"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}