(1) (a) A person commits a class 2 misdemeanor if he or she knowingly desecrates any public monument or structure or desecrates in a public place any other object of veneration by the public.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in section 24-80-1305, with respect to the
disturbance of an unmarked human burial, a person commits a class 2 misdemeanor
if he or she knowingly desecrates any place of worship or burial of human remains.
(c) The court shall order that any person convicted pursuant to this section
make restitution to cover the costs of repairing any damages to any monument,
headstone, memorial marker, structure, or place that are the result of such person’s
conduct. Such restitution shall be paid to any person or entity that repairs such
damages, as required in article 18.5 of title 16, C.R.S.
(2) The term desecrate means defacing, damaging, polluting, or otherwise
physically mistreating in a way that the defendant knows will outrage the
sensibilities of persons likely to observe or discover his action or its result.
L. 71: R&RE, p. 470, § 1. C.R.S. 1963: § 40-9-114. L. 77: (1) amended, p. 969, § 54, effective July 1. L. 82: (1) amended, p. 324, § 1, effective March 25. L. 90: (1)(b) amended, p. 1282, § 7, effective May 9. L. 91: (1)(c) added, p. 407, § 16, effective June 6. L. 2000: (1)(c) amended, p. 1051, § 19, effective September 1. L. 2021: (1)(a) and (1)(b) amended, (SB 21-271), ch. 462, p. 3203, § 316, effective March 1, 2022.
