W. Va. Code § 61-2-14G
This is the official text of W. Va. Code § 61-2-14G, part of West Virginia’s Va. Code — part of the compiled statutory law of West Virginia, published by the state as "Va. Code." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§61-2-14g. Unlawful restraint; penalties.
Official statutory text
(a) Any person who, without legal authority intentionally restrains another with the intent that the other person not be allowed to leave the place of restraint and who does so by physical force or by overt or implied threat of violence or by actual physical restraint but without the intent to obtain any other concession or advantage as those terms are used in section fourteen-a of this article is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction shall be confined in jail for not more than one year, fined not more than $1,000, or both.
(b) In any prosecution under this section, it is an affirmative defense that:
(1) The defendant acted reasonably and in good faith to protect the person from imminent physical danger; or
(2) The person restrained was a child less than eighteen years old and that the actor was a parent or legal guardian, or a person acting under authority granted by a parent or legal guardian of such child, or by a teacher or other school personnel acting under authority granted by section one, article five, chapter eighteen-a of this code, and that his or her sole purpose was to assume control of such child.
(c) As used in this section to "restrain" means to restrict a persons movement without his or her consent.
(d) This section shall not apply to acts done by a law-enforcement officer in the lawful exercise of his or her duties.
(b) In any prosecution under this section, it is an affirmative defense that:
(1) The defendant acted reasonably and in good faith to protect the person from imminent physical danger; or
(2) The person restrained was a child less than eighteen years old and that the actor was a parent or legal guardian, or a person acting under authority granted by a parent or legal guardian of such child, or by a teacher or other school personnel acting under authority granted by section one, article five, chapter eighteen-a of this code, and that his or her sole purpose was to assume control of such child.
(c) As used in this section to "restrain" means to restrict a persons movement without his or her consent.
(d) This section shall not apply to acts done by a law-enforcement officer in the lawful exercise of his or her duties.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in West Virginia?
Find a West Virginia lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.