Missouri Laws 574.080 – Causing catastrophe — definitions — penalty
1. A person commits the offense of causing catastrophe if he or she knowingly causes a catastrophe by explosion, fire, flood, collapse of a building, release of poison, radioactive material, bacteria, virus or other dangerous and difficult to confine force or substance.
2. As used in this section, the following terms mean:
Attorney's Note
Under the Missouri Laws, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Class A felony | between 10 years and life |
Terms Used In Missouri Laws 574.080
- following: when used by way of reference to any section of the statutes, mean the section next preceding or next following that in which the reference is made, unless some other section is expressly designated in the reference. See Missouri Laws 1.020
- person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations. See Missouri Laws 1.020
(1) “Catastrophe”, death or serious physical injury to ten or more people or substantial damage to five or more buildings or inhabitable structures or substantial damage to a vital public facility which seriously impairs its usefulness or operation;
(2) “Vital public facility”, includes a facility maintained for use as a bridge, whether over land or water, dam, reservoir, tunnel, communication installation or power station.
3. The offense of causing catastrophe is a class A felony.