Statutes: South Carolina

(A) A person who violates Section 16-25-20(A) is guilty of the offense of domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature when one of the following occurs. The person:
(1) commits the offense under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life and great bodily injury to the victim results;
(2) commits the offense, with or without an accompanying battery and under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, and would reasonably cause a person to fear imminent great bodily injury or death; or
(3) violates a protection order and, in the process of violating the order, commits domestic violence in the first degree.
(B) A person who violates subsection (A) is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned for not more than twenty years.
(C) The provisions of subsection (A) create a statutory offense of domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature and must not be construed to codify the common law crime of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature.
(D) Circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) using a deadly weapon;
(2) knowingly and intentionally impeding the normal breathing or circulation of the blood of a household member by applying pressure to the throat or neck or by obstructing the nose or mouth of a household member and thereby causing stupor or loss of consciousness for any period of time;
(3) committing the offense in the presence of a minor;
(4) committing the offense against a person he knew, or should have known, to be pregnant;
(5) committing the offense during the commission of a robbery, burglary, kidnapping, or theft; or
(6) using physical force against another to block that person’s access to any cell phone, telephone, or electronic communication device with the purpose of preventing, obstructing, or interfering with:
(a) the report of any criminal offense, bodily injury, or property damage to a law enforcement agency; or
(b) a request for an ambulance or emergency medical assistance to any law enforcement agency or emergency medical provider.