Bill strengthens penalties for violence in the presence of children

A bill requiring that individual criminal charges be filed for each child who witnesses an act of domestic violence was approved unanimously by the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee Thursday morning.

HB275, sponsored by Rep. Kerry Gibson, R-Ogden, would amend an existing law to make sure that anyone charged with domestic violence is also charged with up to a third-degree felony for each child present when the crime was committed.

Gibson said his bill addresses "something that was intended to be this way from the beginning."

He read a statement from West Jordan Police Capt. Gary Cox, who helped write the original 1997 law that made domestic violence in the presence of a child a crime. In his statement, Cox said he had been disappointed to see that individual charges for each child weren't being filed in most cases.

"Your proposal should make clear the intent we had 12 years ago," Cox said in his statement.

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