Resisting Officer With Violence

Elements marked AND are cumulative. Elements marked OR identify statutory alternatives; one applicable alternative must be established when that theory is charged. Conditional elements apply only to the identified statutory track.

1. Element 1

   AND — Required

   Officer or authorized-person track — all facts required

   For the officer-or-authorized-person track, the defendant knowingly and willfully resisted, obstructed, or opposed an officer or other person legally authorized to execute process.

   Plain language: Identify the legally authorized person and the intentional resistance.

2. Element 2

   AND — Required

   Officer or authorized-person track — all facts required

   The defendant offered or did violence to that person while the person was executing legal process or lawfully performing an official duty.

   Plain language: Violence and lawful-duty status distinguish this charge from nonviolent resisting.

3. Element 3

   AND — Required

   Police canine or horse track — all facts required

   For the police-animal track, the defendant knowingly and willfully resisted, obstructed, or opposed a police canine or police horse by offering or doing violence to the animal.

   Plain language: This is an alternative statutory track involving violence toward a police canine or horse.

4. Element 4

   AND — Required

   Police canine or horse track — all facts required

   At the time, the police canine or horse was working at the direction of or in tandem with a listed officer or legally authorized person who was executing legal process or lawfully performing an official duty.

   Plain language: Connect the animal to a qualifying officer and lawful duty.

5. Element 5

   AND — Required

   Police canine or horse track — all facts required

   The defendant knew the animal was a police canine or police horse.

   Plain language: Document facts showing knowledge of the animal's law-enforcement role.