VA · jury_instructions
Va. Model Jury Instr. Crim. No. 43.500
Damage to Utility Facility
The defendant is charged with the crime of destroying or damaging a utility facility. The
Commonwealth must prove beyond a reasonable doubt each of the following elements of that
crime:
(1) That the defendant intentionally destroyed or damaged a facility which was used to furnish
[oil; telegraph; telephone; electric; gas; sewer; wastewater; water] service to the public; and
(2) That the cost to remedy or repair the damage was $1,000 or more.
If you find from the evidence that the Commonwealth has proved beyond a reasonable doubt
each of the above elements of the crime as charged, then you shall find the defendant guilty [but
you shall not fix the punishment until your verdict has been returned and further evidence has
been heard by you].
If you find from the evidence that the Commonwealth has proved beyond a reasonable doubt
the first element of the crime as charged, but has not proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the
cost to remedy or repair the damage was $1,000 or more, then you shall find the defendant guilty
of misdemeanor Damage to Utility Facility. [Upon consideration of all the evidence you have
heard, you shall fix the defendant’s punishment at a fine of a specific amount, but not more than
$500.]
If you find that the Commonwealth has failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the first
element of the crime, then you shall find the defendant not guilty.
History
Virginia Model Jury Instructions – Criminal, Release 26, October 2025. The unannotated set, posted by the Supreme Court of Virginia at vacourts.gov; the book states that it is made available with the permission of the publisher, Matthew Bender & Company, Inc.
Provenance
- Source
- vacourts.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-11
- Edition
- crim-2025-10-01
- Content hash
0b16c93f8a93e0268b13110dc1f445c0b55e7f2c9b217a59e66a809eb720043d
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