W. Va. Code § 61-2-14
Abduction of person; kidnapping or concealing child; penalties
West Virginia · West Virginia Code Chapter 61 — Crimes and Their Punishment · Status: effective
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- Citation
- W. Va. Code § 61-2-14, Abduction of person; kidnapping or concealing child; penalties, West Virginia, version 1 as recorded 2026-10-03, yourstate.us, https://yourstate.us/provision/2392344
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(a) Any person who takes away another person, or detains another person against such person's will, with intent to marry or defile the person, or to cause the person to be married or defiled by another person; or takes away a child under the age of sixteen years from any person having lawful charge of such child, for the purpose of prostitution or concubinage, shall be guilty of a felony, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be confined in the penitentiary not less than three nor more than ten years.
(b) Any person, other than the father or mother, who illegally, or for any unlawful, improper or immoral purpose other than the purposes stated in subsection (a) of this section or section fourteen-a or fourteen-c of this article, seizes, take or secretes a child under sixteen years of age, from the person or persons having lawful charge of such child, shall be guilty of a felony, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be confined in the penitentiary not less than one nor more than ten years.