City of Sparta, MO Article V Offenses Concerning Public Peace

Section 210.210 Peace Disturbance.

A. A person commits the offense of peace disturbance if:

1. He/she unreasonably and knowingly disturbs or alarms another person or persons by:

a. Loud noise;

b. Offensive language addressed in a face-to-face manner to a specific individual and uttered under circumstances which are likely to produce an immediate violent response from a reasonable recipient;

c. Threatening to commit a felonious act against any person under circumstances which are likely to cause a reasonable person to fear that such threat may be carried out;

d. Fighting;

e. Creating a noxious and offensive odor; or

f. Urinating in public.

2. He/she is in a public place or on private property of another without consent and purposely causes inconvenience to another person or persons by unreasonably and physically obstructing:

a. Vehicular or pedestrian traffic; or

b. The free ingress or egress to or from a public or private place.

Section 210.215 Private Peace Disturbance.

A. A person commits the offense of private peace disturbance if he/she is on private property and unreasonably and purposely causes alarm to another person or persons on the same premises by:

1. Threatening to commit a crime or offense against any person; or

2. Fighting.

Section 210.220 Peace Disturbance Definitions.

For the purposes of Sections 210.210 and 210.215, the following words shall have the meanings set out herein:

PRIVATE PROPERTY

Any place which at the time is not open to the public. It includes property which is owned publicly or privately.

PROPERTY OF ANOTHER

Any property in which the actor does not have a possessory interest.

PUBLIC PLACE

Any place which at the time is open to the public. It includes property which is owned publicly or privately.

If a building or structure is divided into separately occupied units, such units are separate premises.

Section 210.222 Disorderly Conduct.

[Ord. No. 438, 6-19-2007]

A. Any person who shall do or engage in any of the following shall be guilty of disorderly conduct and shall be guilty of a misdemeanor:

1. Any person who shall act in a violent or tumultuous manner toward another whereby any person is placed in fear of safety of his/her life, limb, or health.

2. Any person who shall act in a violent or tumultuous manner toward another, whereby property of any person is placed in danger of being destroyed or damaged.

3. Any person who shall endanger lawful pursuits of another by acts of violence, angry threats, and abusive conduct.

4. Any person who shall cause, provoke, or engage in any fight, brawl, or riotous conduct, so as to endanger life, limb, health, or property of another.

5. Any person who shall assemble or congregate with another or others for the purpose of causing, provoking, or engaging in any fight or brawl.

6. Any person who shall be found jostling or roughly crowding or pushing any person in any public place.

7. Any person who shall collect in bodies or in crowds, for any unlawful purposes, as defined by current ordinances of the City.

8. Any person who shall assemble or congregate with another or others for the purpose of or with the intent to engage in gaming.

9. Any person who shall frequent any public place with intent to obtain money from another by an illegal and fraudulent scheme, trick, artifice, or device.

10. Any person who assembles with another or others for the purpose of engaging in any fraudulent scheme, device, or trick to obtain any valuable thing in any place, or from any person in the City, or who shall aid or abet therein.

11. Any person who shall accost or attempt to force his/her company upon any person or attempts to pick up any person against that person's will.

12. Any person who utters, while in a state of anger, in the presence of another, any bawdy, lewd, or obscene words or epithets.

13. Any person who frequents any place where gaming or the illegal sale or possession of alcoholic beverages or narcotics or dangerous drugs is practiced, allowed or tolerated.

14. Any person who shall act in a dangerous manner toward others.

15. Any person who shall use "fighting words" directed towards any person who becomes outraged and thus creates turmoil.

16. Any person who shall assemble or congregate with another or others for the purpose of trouncing upon another.

17. Any person who shall, by acts of violence, interfere with another's pursuit of a lawful occupation.

18. Any person who shall congregate with another or others in or on any public way, so as to halt the flow of vehicular or pedestrian traffic and refuses to clear such public way when ordered by a Peace Officer or other lawful authority.

B. Penalty. Any person convicted of violating any provision of this Section shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00), or by imprisonment for not more than ninety (90) days, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

Section 210.225 Unlawful Assembly.

A person commits the offense of unlawful assembly if he/she knowingly assembles with six (6) or more other persons and agrees with such persons to violate any of the criminal laws of this State or of the United States with force or violence.

Section 210.230 Rioting. [1]

A person commits the offense of rioting if he/she knowingly assembles with six (6) or more other persons and agrees with such persons to violate any of the criminal laws of this State or of the United States with force or violence and thereafter, while still so assembled, does violate any of said laws with force or violence.

[1] Note — Under certain circumstances this offense can be a felony under state law.

Section 210.235 Refusal to Disperse.

A person commits the offense of refusal to disperse if, being present at the scene of an unlawful assembly or at the scene of a riot, he/she knowingly fails or refuses to obey the lawful command of a Law Enforcement Officer to depart from the scene of such unlawful assembly or riot.