Happy family

Find a legal form in minutes

Browse US Legal Forms’ largest database of 85k state and industry-specific legal forms.

Maine Kidnapping/Abduction Laws

According to 17-A M.R.S. § 301 a person is guilty of kidnapping if s/he knowingly restraints another person under circumstances which expose the victim to risk of serious bodily injury or by secreting and holding the victim in a place where the victim is not likely to be found, or the offender restraints with the intent to:

  • Hold the other person for ransom or reward;
  • Use the other person as a shield or hostage;
  • Inflict bodily injury upon the other person or subject the other person to conduct defined as criminal;
  • Terrorize the other person or a 3rd person;
  • Facilitate the commission of another crime by any person or flight thereafter; or
  • Interfere with the performance of any governmental or political function; or

Kidnapping is a Class A crime. The crime is a Class B crime, if the defendant voluntarily released the victim alive and not suffering from serious bodily injury, in a safe place prior to trial.

The important elements of kidnapping are intention and restraint.

According to17-A M.R.S. § 1301 fine is $ 50,000 for a Class A crime and $ 20,000 for a Class B crime.  According to 17-A M.R.S. § 1252, in the case of a Class A crime, the term of imprisonment does not exceed 30 years and in the case of a Class B crime, the term of imprisonment does not exceed 10 years.

Maine Department of Public Safety protects the lives, rights and properties of its citizens through criminal justice, law enforcement and emergency response services.

Maine Department of Public Safety


Inside Maine Kidnapping/Abduction Laws