West Virginia Code 19-34-9 – Criminal and civil penalties
(a) A person who violates a provision of this article is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $200 nor more than $2,000 for each animal with respect to which there is a violation.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 19-34-9
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Dangerous wild animal: means a mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian or aquatic animal, including a hybrid, that is dangerous to humans, other animals or the environment due to its inherent nature and capability to do significant harm. See West Virginia Code 19-34-2
- Offense: includes every act or omission for which a fine, forfeiture, or punishment is imposed by law. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
- Person: means an individual, partnership, corporation, organization, trade or professional association, firm, limited liability company, joint venture, association, trust, estate or other legal entity and an officer, member, shareholder, director, employee, agent or representative thereof. See West Virginia Code 19-34-2
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
(b) A person who knowingly and intentionally or recklessly releases a dangerous wild animal or unlawfully possesses a dangerous wild animal that does not cause injury to an individual is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, may be confined in jail for not more than one year or fined not less than $500 nor more than $2,500, or both confined and fined.
(c) A person who knowingly and intentionally or recklessly releases a dangerous wild animal or unlawfully possesses a dangerous wild animal that injures an individual is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, may be imprisoned in a state correctional institution for not less than one year nor more than three years, or fined not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000, or both confined and fined.
(d) Civil penalty. -– A person convicted of an offense under this article is liable for all costs, including personnel costs, expended by the county or state agencies involved with the capture, confinement, transfer or euthanasia of a dangerous wild animal.
(e) The civil liability imposed by this section is in addition to any other legal remedies for damages to person or property caused by a dangerous wild animal.