North Carolina § 14-144 - Injuring houses, churches, fences and walls.

§ 14-144. Injuring houses, churches, fences and walls.

If any person shall, by any other means than burning or attempting to burn, unlawfully and willfully demolish, destroy, deface, injure or damage any of the houses or other buildings mentioned in Article 15 (Arson and Other Burnings) of this Chapter; or shall by any other means than burning or attempting to burn unlawfully and willfully demolish, pull down, destroy, deface, damage or injure any church, uninhabited house, outhouse or other house or building not mentioned in such article; or shall unlawfully and willfully burn, destroy, pull down, injure or remove any fence, wall or other enclosure, or any part thereof, surrounding or about any yard, garden, cultivated field or pasture, or about any church or graveyard, or about any factory or other house in which machinery is used, every person so offending shall be punished as follows: If the damage is five thousand dollars ($5,000) or less, the person is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor. If the damage is more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), the person is guilty of a Class I felony. History (R.C., c. 34, s. 103; Code, s. 1062; Rev., s. 3673; C.S., s. 4317; 1957, c. 250, s. 2; 1969, c. 1224, s. 1; 1993, c. 539, s. 83; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c); 2008-15, s. 1; 2009-570, s. 3.) Cross References. - As to injuring buildings or fences, see G.S. 14-159 . As to willful destruction by a tenant, see G.S. 42-11 . Effect of Amendments. - Session Laws 2008-15, s. 1, effective December 1, 2008, and applicable to offenses committed on or after that date, substituted "punished as follows:" for "guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor." at the end of the introductory paragraph and added subdivisions (1) and (2). Session Laws 2009-570, s. 3, effective August 28, 2009, in the introductory paragraph, substituted "Article 15 (Arson and Other Burnings) of this Chapter" for "this Chapter in the Article entitled Arson and Other Burnings" and substituted "uninhabited house" for "uninhabitated house" and "or other enclosure" for "or other inclosure."