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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>75741</law_id><section_number>18.2-153</section_number><catch_line>Obstructing or injuring canal, railroad, power line, etc</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>17.1-805</reference><reference>19.2-303.2</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="18.2">Crimes and Offenses Generally</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="5">Crimes Against Property</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="8">Offenses Relating to Railroads and Other Utilities</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>If any person maliciously obstruct, remove or injure any part of a canal, railroad or urban, suburban or interurban electric railway, or any lines of any electric power company, or any bridge or fixture thereof, or maliciously obstruct, tamper with, injure or remove any machinery, engine, car, trolley, supply or return wires or any other work thereof, or maliciously open, close, displace, tamper with or injure any switch, switch point, switch lever, signal lever or signal of any such company, whereby the life of any person on such canal, railroad, urban, suburban or interurban electric railway, is put in peril, he shall be guilty of a Class 4 <span class="dictionary">felony</span>; and, in the event of the death of any such person resulting from such <span class="dictionary">malicious</span> act, the person so offending shall be deemed guilty of <span class="dictionary">murder</span>, the degree to be determined by the <span class="dictionary">jury</span> or the <span class="dictionary">court</span> trying the case without a <span class="dictionary">jury</span>.
		If any such act be committed unlawfully, but not maliciously, the person so offending shall be guilty of a Class 6 <span class="dictionary">felony</span>; and in the event of the death of any such person resulting from such unlawful act, the person so offending shall be deemed guilty of <span class="dictionary">involuntary manslaughter</span>.</p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 18.1-147; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
