The Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee heard HB 1211, sponsored by Sen. L. Brown, on methamphetamine and criminal mischief. The bill (1) requires law enforcement to report methamphetamine-related fires to the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute; (2) makes manufacture of methamphetamine a Level 4 felony (or Level 3 for 5-10 grams and Level 2 if over 10 grams, or the manufacture results in serious bodily injury or death); (3) removes “manufacturing” of methamphetamine from list of “enhancing circumstances”; (4) creates a Level 6 felony for damaging property while manufacturing methamphetamine; and (5) creates a Class A misdemeanor criminal mischief offense for recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally damaging a vacant property, elevating to Level 6, 5, or 4 felonies if the property damage exceeds certain amounts.
The Indiana Fire Chiefs Association and Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council testified in support of the bill. The Indiana Public Defender Council testified in opposition to the level of the new offenses as disproportionate. The bill was amended by consent to eliminate the new methamphetamine-related criminal mischief provisions. It then passed as amended 8-0.
Read the bill at http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2016/bills/house/1211