Indiana § 35-44.1-2-2 Obstruction of justice

Indiana Statutes

§ 35-44.1-2-2 — Obstruction of justice

Indiana § 35-44.1-2-2

Art. 44.1OFFENSES AGAINST GENERAL PUBLIC

Ch. 2Interference with General Government Operations

This text of Indiana § 35-44.1-2-2 (Obstruction of justice) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Ind. Code § 35-44.1-2-2 (2026).

Text

(a)A person who:

(1)knowingly or intentionally induces, by threat, coercion, false statement, or offer of goods, services, or anything of value, a witness or informant in a legal proceeding or an administrative or criminal investigation to:

(A)withhold or unreasonably delay in producing any testimony, information, document, or thing that the witness or informant is legally required to produce;

(B)avoid legal process summoning the person to testify or supply evidence;

(C)absent the person from a proceeding or investigation to which the person has been legally summoned; or

(D)give a false or materially misleading statement;

(2)knowingly or intentionally in a legal proceeding or an administrative or criminal investigation:

(A)withholds or unreasonably delays in producing any testimony

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(a) A person who:
(1) knowingly or intentionally induces, by threat, coercion, false
statement, or offer of goods, services, or anything of value, a
witness or informant in a legal proceeding or an administrative or
criminal investigation to:
(A) withhold or unreasonably delay in producing any testimony,
information, document, or thing that the witness or informant
is legally required to produce;
(B) avoid legal process summoning the person to testify or
supply evidence;
(C) absent the person from a proceeding or investigation to
which the person has been legally summoned; or
(D) give a false or materially misleading statement;
(2) knowingly or intentionally in a legal proceeding or an
administrative or criminal investigation:
(A) withholds or unreasonably delays in producing any
testimony, information, document, or thing after a court orders
the person to produce the testimony, information, document, or
thing;
(B) avoids legal process summoning the person to testify or
supply evidence; or
(C) absents the person from a proceeding or investigation to
which the person has been legally summoned;
(3) alters, damages, or removes any record, document, or thing,
with intent to prevent it from being produced or used as evidence
in any legal proceeding or administrative or criminal
investigation;
(4) makes, presents, or uses a false record, document, or thing
with intent that the record, document, or thing, material to the
point in question, appear in evidence in a legal proceeding or an
administrative or criminal investigation to mislead a public
servant;
(5) communicates with a juror otherwise than as authorized by
law, with intent to influence the juror regarding any matter that is
or may be brought before the juror; or
(6) being employed by a court or law enforcement agency, notifies
the subject of a warrant of the warrant, with the intent to interfere
with the execution of the warrant;
commits obstruction of justice, a Level 6 felony, except as provided in
subsection (b).
(b) Except as provided in subsection (e), the offense is a Level 5
felony if, during the investigation or pendency of a domestic violence
or child abuse case under subsection (c), a person knowingly or
intentionally:
(1) offers, gives, or promises any benefit to;
(2) communicates a threat as defined by IC 35-45-2-1(c) to; or
(3) intimidates, unlawfully influences, or unlawfully persuades;
any witness to abstain from attending or giving testimony, or to give a
false or materially misleading statement, at any hearing, trial,
deposition, probation, or other criminal proceeding or from giving
testimony or other statements, including giving a false or materially
misleading statement, to a court or law enforcement officer under IC 35-31.5-2-185.
(c) As used in this section, "domestic violence or child abuse case"
means any case involving an allegation of:
(1) the commission of a crime involving domestic or family
violence under IC 35-31.5-2-76 involving a family or household
member under IC 35-31.5-2-128;
(2) the commission of a crime of domestic violence under IC 35-31.5-2-78 involving a family or household member under IC 35-31.5-2-128; or
(3) physical abuse, sexual abuse, or child neglect, including
crimes listed under IC 35-31.5-2-76 involving a victim who was
less than eighteen (18) years of age at the time of the offense,
whether or not the person is a family or household member under
IC 35-31.5-2-128.
(d) Subsection (a)(2)(A) does not apply to:
(1) a person who qualifies for a special privilege under IC 34-46-4
with respect to the testimony, information, document, or thing; or
(2) a person who, as:
(A) an attorney;
(B) a physician;
(C) a member of the clergy; or
(D) a husband or wife;
is not required to testify under IC 34-46-3-1.
(e) Subsections (a) and (b) do not apply to:
(1) an attorney;
(2) an investigator;
(3) a law enforcement officer; or
(4) a judge;
engaged in that person's professional or official duties.

Legislative History

As added by P.L.126-2012, SEC.54. Amended by P.L.158-2013, SEC.502; P.L.252-2017, SEC.15; P.L.174-2021, SEC.74; P.L.5-2022, SEC.5; P.L.209-2023, SEC.3.