Hindering Law and Legal Definition
Hindering generally is when someone helps another to elude apprehension or trial, thereby interfering with the processes of government. This offense deals with his/her willingness to do that and the harm such behavior threatens to cause, without regard to whether the prime offender can be or has been tried or convicted.
The following is an example of a jury charge for hindering:
Here, the State must prove that the defendant hid, or protected, or sheltered or secreted (other) from the authorities, or
(2) he provided (or aided in providing) a weapon (or money, transportation, disguise or other means of avoiding discovery or apprehension or affecting escape,) to (other), or
(3) he suppressed, by way of concealment or destruction any evidence of (the crime), or, that he tampered with a witness (or informant, document or other source of information), which evidence, witness, etc. might aid in the discovery or apprehensionof (other) or in the lodging of a charge against him. The activities forbidden here are ones which amount to efforts to conceal commission of (the crime) or to suppress, alter, destroy or hide such evidence, or
(4) he warned (other) of impending or imminent discovery or apprehension. (Note: this does not apply to a warning given in connection with an effort to bring another into compliance with law, such as a fellow motorist warning speeders to slowdown for a speed trap, or a lawyer advising a client to discontinue illegal activities, or
(5) he prevented or obstructed, by means of force, intimidation or deception, (name of person) from performing an act which might aid in the discovery or apprehension of (other) or in the lodging of a charge against him, or
(6) he aided (other) to protect or expeditiously profit from an advantage derived from such crime. This means that after the (offense) was committed, the defendant assisted (other) in carrying out his unlawful objective for a share in the proceeds or some other reason. (For example, one might act as custodian of the proceeds of a bank robbery until the robbers should agree on a distribution, or help a thief to collect a reward for the return of stolen goods, or to exchange marked ransom money, or
(7) he volunteered false information to a law enforcement officer, that is, he took the initiative in furnishing information to the authorities which he knew was not true and therefore would throw them off the track.
