Sometimes animosity can occur between Oregon residents and police officers. Although negative interactions between the police and residents can occur at any time, they often occur while a person is being arrested. While it might be natural for someone to lash out at a police officer during the course of an arrest, people should understand that there can be serious criminal penalties for taking aggressive action against any officer, at any time.
In particular, a person can be charged with the crime of aggravated harassment for certain actions against police. Under Oregon criminal code section 166.070, a person can be charged with aggravated harassment in three situations.
One, if a person intentionally propels saliva at a safety officer while the officer is acting performing official duties, and the saliva comes in contact with the officer, the person can be charged with aggravated harassment.
Additionally, a person can be charged with aggravated harassment if the person propels feces, urine, semen or blood at a public safety officer while the officer is acting in the course of the officer's official duties. Here, the substance does not have to actually touch the officer.
Finally, a person can face charges for aggravated harassment if the person propels urine, blood, semen, saliva or other hazardous materials at a staff member during the course of that staff member's official duties. A staff member includes correctional officers at various correctional facilities across the state of Oregon.
An aggravated harassment charge is a class C felony. Therefore, those charged with aggravated harassment can face serious penalties including prison time. People who have been charged with felonies may need the help of an experienced attorney to avoid prison time and other serious penalties.
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