Code of Virginia: Sexual Battery (§ 18.2-67.4)

Sexual battery is defined and classified as a Class 1 misdemeanor under the Code of Virginia. A person commits this offense if they sexually abuse another individual by force or intimidation, without consent, if they engage in sexual abuse against one person more than once, or against multiple people within a two-year period, or if they commit sexual abuse while holding a position of authority over the victim. Sexual abuse includes acts of molestation, arousal, or gratification through intentional touching of a victim’s intimate parts or of material covering those parts. In cases involving abuse through authority, the victim may be an inmate, probationer, parolee, pretrial or post trial defendant, or confidential informant, while the offender may be an employee, volunteer, officer, or another person in a supervisory or authoritative role over the victim.