{"data":{"id":"us-mt/45-7-303","jurisdiction":"us-mt","citation":"45-7-303","heading":"Obstructing justice.","body":"(1) For the purpose of this section \"an offender\" means a person who has been or is liable to be arrested, charged, convicted, or punished for a public offense.\n(2) A person commits the offense of obstructing justice if, knowing another person is an offender, the person purposely:\n(a) harbors or conceals an offender;\n(b) warns an offender of impending discovery or apprehension, except this does not apply to a warning given in connection with an effort to bring an offender into compliance with the law;\n(c) provides an offender with money, transportation, weapon, disguise, or other means of avoiding discovery or apprehension;\n(d) prevents or obstructs by means of force, deception, or intimidation anyone from performing an act that might aid in the discovery or apprehension of an offender;\n(e) suppresses by act of concealment, alteration, or destruction any physical evidence that might aid in the discovery or apprehension of an offender; or\n(f) aids an offender who is subject to official detention to escape from official detention.\n(3) A person convicted of obstructing justice shall be:\n(a) imprisoned in the state prison for a term not to exceed 10 years if the offender has been or is liable to be charged with a felony; or\n(b) fined not to exceed $500 or be imprisoned in the county jail for a term not to exceed 6 months, or both, if the offender has been or is liable to be charged with a misdemeanor.","path":["TITLE 45. CRIMES","CHAPTER 7. OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION","Part 3. Obstructing Governmental Operations"],"source_url":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0450/chapter_0070/part_0030/section_0030/0450-0070-0030-0030.html","current_through":"Montana Code Annotated 2025","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T04:55:33Z","sha256":"2e809acf01168a5d2fe18a3a92410571dd9f9ba10a2c9a787c0953c814d3c3c7","source_id":"us-mt","stale":false,"prev":"us-mt/45-7-302","next":"us-mt/45-7-304"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}