§ 10-8-7. Malicious mischief.

A.

For the purpose of this section, the term "malicious mischief" shall be defined and considered as any malicious or mischievous physical injury either to the property or rights of another or to those of the public in general, and without the consent of the owner.

B.

Without excluding any act not herein named, but expressly included herein, the following acts shall be and constitute malicious mischief and a misdemeanor:

1.

Damaging a vessel or building by explosion;

2.

Burning crops, timber or grass;

3.

Altering or removing a signal or light for a railroad or vessel or exhibiting false lights or signals;

4.

Maliciously injuring, destroying, defacing or removing any milestone, post, guideboard, or street marker, bridge, private way, pier, tree, rock, post, or other monument for designating property, telegraph or telephone wire, or cable, or appurtenances belonging thereto, pipe or main for conducting gas or water and appurtenances thereto, electric lines, lamps, posts and appurtenances thereto, sewer or drain or pipe connected therewith, fire hydrants, hose or appliances, fire extinguishers, danger and guideposts;

5.

Entering upon the garden, orchard, or improved cultivated or enclosed lands of another, and to willfully or wantonly sever, destroy, carry away, or injure the trees, shrubs, vines, flowers, moss, turf, grain, grass, hay, fruit or vegetables thereon;

6.

Digging, taking or carrying away earth, soil or stone from the land of another;

7.

Placing any structure upon the land of another;

8.

Breaking plate glass windows or doors of another;

9.

Breaking, defacing or injuring any house of religious worship;

10.

Connecting any tube, pipe, wire or other instrument with any instrument used for conducting gas, fuel, electricity or water, in such manner as to use such gas, fuel, electricity or water without same passing through a meter or other instrument;

11.

Altering, injuring or preventing the action of a meter, valve, stopcock, or other instrument used for measuring quantities of gas, electricity or water;

12.

Breaking, defacing or causing to be broken or defaced, the seal on any water meter;

13.

Loosening the brake or blocking of any car standing on any railroad track in the city;

14.

Taking or carrying away any coal or other fuel from any railroad car or environs of the city;

15.

Maliciously to cut away, let loose, injure or destroy any raft, boat, floating mill, watercraft or vessel of another, or carrying the same from its moorings;

16.

Knowingly or willfully to destroy or carry away the rails or boards, wood or other lumber of another, or to tear down or remove any structure or part thereof, or to destroy or remove therefrom any plumbing, electrical equipment or other appurtenances;

17.

Maliciously to destroy, injure or secrete any goods, chattels or valuable papers of another;

18.

Wantonly or unnecessarily to remove, cut, injure or destroy any tree, shrub, vine, moss or turf growing or being located upon any public lands of any character whatsoever, including all public parks and the entire rights-of-way of all public highways, roads, streets and alleys;

19.

For any chauffeur or any other person in like capacity to use the automobile of another without the owner's permission or consent;

20.

Willfully to top, cut, burn, break down, injure or destroy, or otherwise to interrupt or interfere with the current, lines, cables, poles, towers, fixtures or appliances of any telephone or telegraph company, or electric light or power company or municipality engaged in furnishing communication, light, heat or power by electricity, or in any way to injure, remove, destroy or interfere with any gas, water or electrical fixtures or appliances.

(Code 1967, § 22-25; Code 1985, § 20-14; Ord. No. 936, § 1, 4-27-1971)

State law reference

Vandalism, T.C.A. § 39-14-408.