South Carolina § 16-8-230 - Definitions.

§ 16-8-230. Definitions.

As used in this article:

(1) "Contraband" means any real or personal property, including money, that is owned by, in the possession of, or subject to the control of a criminal gang member and which is acquired by, derived from, or traceable to criminal gang activity.

(2) "Criminal gang" means a formal or informal ongoing organization, association, or group that consists of five or more persons who form for the purpose of committing criminal activity and who knowingly and actively participate in a pattern of criminal gang activity.

(3) "Criminal gang member" means an individual who is an active member of a criminal gang.

(4) "Pattern of criminal gang activity" means the commission or attempted commission of, commission as an accessory before or after the fact to, or solicitation or conspiracy to commit, by a criminal gang member, while knowingly and actively participating in criminal gang activity, four or more of the following offenses occurring within a two-year period, provided that at least three of these offenses occurred after July 1, 2007:

(a) a violent offense as defined in Section 16-1-60 committed as a part of criminal gang activity;

(b) financial transaction card crimes as defined in Chapter 14 of Title 16 committed as a part of criminal gang activity;

(c) first degree lynching as defined in Section 16-3-210 committed as a part of criminal gang activity;

(d) second degree lynching as defined in Section 16-3-220 committed as a part of criminal gang activity;

(e) breaking into a motor vehicle as defined in Section 16-13-160 committed as a part of criminal gang activity;

(f) grand larceny as defined in Section 16-13-30 committed as a part of criminal gang activity;

(g) blackmail as defined in Section 16-17-640 committed as a part of criminal gang activity;

(h) malicious injury to property as defined in Sections 16-11-510, 16-11-520, 16-11-530, and 16-11-535 committed as a part of criminal gang activity;

(i) drug offense as defined in Sections 44-53-370 and 44-53-375 committed as a part of criminal gang activity;

(j) harassment, stalking, or aggravated stalking as defined in Article 17, Chapter 3 of Title 16 committed as a part of criminal gang activity;

(k) pointing a firearm at any person as defined in Section 16-23-410 committed as a part of criminal gang activity;

(l) discharging a firearm at or into dwellings, structures, enclosures, vehicles, or equipment as defined in Section 16-23-440 committed as a part of criminal gang activity;

(m) the common law offense of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature committed as a part of criminal gang activity; or

(n) the common law offense of obstruction of justice committed as a part of criminal gang activity.

(5) "Gang-related incident" means an incident that, upon investigation, meets any of the following conditions:

(a) the participants are identified as criminal gang members acting collectively to further a criminal purpose of the criminal gang;

(b) a reliable informant identifies an incident as criminal gang activity based upon first-hand knowledge or personal observation; or

(c) a person other than a reliable informant provides information that identifies an incident as criminal gang activity, and it is corroborated by independent information.

HISTORY: 2007 Act No. 82, SECTION 5, eff June 12, 2007.

Code Commissioner's Note

Section 16-3-220, referenced in item (4)(d) was repealed by 2010 Acts No. 273, SECTION 5.

Editor's Note

2010 Act No. 273, SECTION 7.C, provides:

"Wherever in the 1976 Code of Laws reference is made to the common law offense of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, it means assault and battery with intent to kill, as contained in repealed Section 16-3-620, and, except for references in Section 16-1-60 and Section 17-25-45, wherever in the 1976 Code reference is made to assault and battery with intent to kill, it means attempted murder as defined in Section 16-3-29."