Washington § 7.105.455 - Enforcement and penalties — Antiharassment protection orders.

(1) When the court issues an antiharassment protection order under this chapter, the court shall advise the petitioner that the respondent may not be subjected to the penalties set forth in this section for a violation of the order unless the respondent knows of the order.

(2) A willful disobedience by a respondent age 18 years or over of any of the following provisions of an antiharassment protection order issued under this chapter is a gross misdemeanor:

(a) The restraint provisions prohibiting acts or threats of violence against, or unlawful harassment or stalking of, a protected party, or restraint provisions prohibiting contact with a protected party;

(b) A provision excluding the person from a residence, workplace, school, or day care;

(c) A provision prohibiting the person from knowingly coming within, or knowingly remaining within, a specified distance of a location, a protected party's person, or a protected party's vehicle; or

(d) A provision prohibiting interfering with the protected party's efforts to remove a pet owned, possessed, leased, kept, or held by the petitioner, respondent, or a minor child residing with either the petitioner or the respondent.

(3) Any respondent age 18 years or over who willfully disobeys the terms of any antiharassment protection order issued under this chapter may also, in the court's discretion, be found in contempt of court and subject to penalties under chapter 7.21 RCW.

(4) Any respondent under the age of 18 years who willfully disobeys the terms of an antiharassment protection order issued under this chapter may, in the court's discretion, be found in contempt of court and subject to the sanction specified in RCW 7.21.030(4), provided that the sanction specified in RCW 7.21.030(4) may be imposed only for willful disobedience of the provisions listed in subsection (2) of this section.

(5) A defendant arrested for violating any antiharassment protection order issued under this chapter is required to appear in person before a magistrate within one judicial day after the arrest. At the time of the appearance, the court shall determine the necessity of imposing a no-contact order or other conditions of pretrial release in accordance with RCW 9A.46.050.

(6) A defendant who is charged by citation, complaint, or information with violating any antiharassment protection order issued under this chapter and not arrested shall appear in court for arraignment in accordance with RCW 9A.46.050.

(7) Appearances required under this section are mandatory and cannot be waived.

Effective date—2022 c 268; 2021 c 215: See note following RCW 7.105.900.