(a) It is the offense of custodial interference for a natural or adoptive parent, step-parent, grandparent, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew of a child younger than eighteen (18) years of age to:

Attorney's Note

Under the Tennessee Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
class C misdemeanorup to 30 daysup to $50
class E felony1 to 6 yearsup to $3,000
class A misdemeanorup to 11 monthsup to $2,500
For details, see Tenn. Code § 40-35-111
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 39-13-306

  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Defendant: means a person accused of an offense under this title and includes any person who aids or abets the commission of such offense. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • Knowing: means that a person acts knowingly with respect to the conduct or to circumstances surrounding the conduct when the person is aware of the nature of the conduct or that the circumstances exist. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
  • Person: includes the singular and the plural and means and includes any individual, firm, partnership, copartnership, association, corporation, governmental subdivision or agency, or other organization or other legal entity, or any agent or servant thereof. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
  • Services: means an ongoing relationship between a person and the defendant in which the person performs activities under the supervision of or for the defendant. See Tennessee Code 39-13-301
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(1) Remove the child from this state knowing that the removal violates a child custody determination as defined in § 36-6-205, the rightful custody of a mother as defined in § 36-2-303, or a temporary or permanent judgment or court order regarding the custody or care of the child;
(2) Detain the child within this state or remove the child from this state after the expiration of the noncustodial natural or adoptive parent or guardian‘s lawful period of visitation, with the intent to violate the rightful custody of a mother as defined in § 36-2-303, or a temporary or permanent judgment or a court order regarding the custody or care of the child;
(3) Harbor or hide the child within or outside this state, knowing that possession of the child was unlawfully obtained by another person in violation of the rightful custody of a mother as defined in § 36-2-303, or a temporary or permanent judgment or a court order;
(4) Act as an accessory to any act prohibited by this section;
(5) Detain the child within or remove the child from this state during the noncustodial parent’s lawful period of visitation, with the intent to violate the court-ordered visitation of the noncustodial parent, or a temporary or permanent judgment regarding visitation with the child; or
(6) Harbor or hide the child within or outside this state, knowing that the child has been placed in the custody of the department of children’s services pursuant to a protective custody order or an emergency custody order entered by a court. It is not a defense to a violation of this subdivision (a)(6) that the person harboring or hiding the child has not been served with an actual copy of a protective custody order or emergency custody order.
(b) It is also the offense of custodial interference for a natural or adoptive parent, step-parent, grandparent, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew of an incompetent person to:

(1) Remove the incompetent person from this state knowing that the removal violates a temporary or permanent judgment or a court order regarding the custody or care of the incompetent person;
(2) Harbor or hide the incompetent person within or outside this state, knowing that possession of the incompetent person was unlawfully obtained by another person in violation of a temporary or permanent judgment or a court order; or
(3) Act as an accessory to any act prohibited by this section.
(c) It is a defense to custodial interference:

(1) That the person who removed the child or incompetent person reasonably believed that, at the time the child or incompetent was removed, the failure to remove the child or incompetent person would have resulted in a clear and present danger to the health, safety, or welfare of the child or incompetent person; or
(2) That the individual detained or moved in contravention of the rightful custody of a mother as defined in § 36-2-303, or of the order of custody or care, was returned by the defendant voluntarily and before arrest or the issuance of a warrant for arrest.
(d) If conduct that is in violation of this section is also a violation of § 39-13-304 or § 39-13-305(a)(1), (a)(3), or (a)(4), the offense may be prosecuted under any of the applicable statutes.
(e)

(1) Except as provided in subdivision (e)(2), custodial interference is a Class E felony, unless the person taken from lawful custody is returned voluntarily by the defendant, in which case custodial interference is a Class A misdemeanor.
(2) Custodial interference under subdivision (a)(5) is a Class C misdemeanor.
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