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Ohio Revised Code

Ohio Rev. Code § 2903.22 (2026)

Menacing

✓ current as of May 2026
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Effective:
April 4, 2023
Latest Legislation:
Senate Bill 16 - 134th General Assembly
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(A)(1) No person shall knowingly cause another to believe that the offender will cause physical harm to the person or property of the other person, the other person's unborn, or a member of the other person's immediate family. In addition to any other basis for the other person's belief that the offender will cause physical harm to the person or property of the other person, the other person's unborn, or a member of the other person's immediate family, the other person's belief may be based on words or conduct of the offender that are directed at or identify a corporation, association, or other organization that employs the other person or to which the other person belongs.

(2) No person shall knowingly place or attempt to place another in reasonable fear of physical harm or death by displaying a deadly weapon, regardless of whether the deadly weapon displayed is operable or inoperable, if either of the following applies:

(a) The other person is an emergency service responder, the person knows or reasonably should know that the other person is an emergency service responder, and it is the person's specific purpose to engage in the specified conduct against an emergency service responder.

(b) The other person is a family or household member or co-worker of an emergency service responder, the person knows or reasonably should know that the other person is a family or household member or co-worker of an emergency service responder, and it is the person's specific purpose to engage in the specified conduct against a family or household member or co-worker of an emergency service responder.

(B) Whoever violates this section is guilty of menacing.

Except as otherwise provided in this division, menacing is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. If the victim of the offense is an officer or employee of a public children services agency or a private child placing agency and the offense relates to the officer's or employee's performance or anticipated performance of official responsibilities or duties or if the victim of the offense is an emergency service responder in the performance of the responder's official duties, menacing is one of the following:

(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(2) of this section, a misdemeanor of the first degree;

(2) If the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to an offense of violence, the victim of that prior offense was an officer or employee of a public children services agency or private child placing agency or an emergency service responder, and that prior offense related to the officer's or employee's performance or anticipated performance of official responsibilities or duties or to the responder's performance of the responder's official duties, a felony of the fourth degree.

(C) A prosecution for a violation of this section does not preclude a prosecution of a violation of any other section of the Revised Code. One or more acts, a series of acts, or a course of behavior that can be prosecuted under this section or any other section of the Revised Code may be prosecuted under this section, the other section of the Revised Code, or both sections. However, if an offender is convicted of or pleads guilty to a violation of this section and also is convicted of or pleads guilty to a violation of section 2903.13 of the Revised Code based on the same conduct involving the same victim that was the basis of the violation of this section, the two offenses are allied offenses of similar import under section 2941.25 of the Revised Code.

(D) As used in this section:

(1) "Emergency service responder," "family or household member," and "co-worker" have the same meanings as in section 2903.13 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Organization" includes an entity that is a governmental employer.

Last updated February 13, 2023 at 9:31 AM

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 158 cases (66 in the last 5 years), 1984–2026 · leading case: State v. Intihar, 2015 Ohio 5507 (Ohio Ct. App. 2015).
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State v. Intihar, 2015 Ohio 5507 (Ohio Ct. App. 2015). · cites it 6× “{¶ 3} On April 29, 2015, following a one-day jury trial, the jury found Intihar not guilty of aggravated menacing, but guilty of the lesser included offense of menacing in violation of R.C. 2903.22(A), a fourth-degree misdemeanor.”
State v. Velez, 2014 Ohio 1788 (Ohio Ct. App. 2014). · cites it 5× “{¶14} R.C. 2903.22 sets forth the offense of menacing and provides: “No person shall knowingly cause another to believe that the offender will cause physical harm to the person * * *.”
State v. Gardner, 118 Ohio St. 3d 420 (Ohio 2008). · cites it 2× “13, or menacing, R.C. 2903.22. Indeed, Ohio courts have recognized that one who forcibly enters a dwelling in the manner depicted in this case may reasonably be assumed to do so with the intent to commit a criminal act within.”
State v. Whitehead, 2019 Ohio 5141 (Ohio Ct. App. 2019). · cites it 4× “21(A), one count of menacing in violation of R.C. 2903.22(A), one count of loitering in violation of R.”
Parma v. Fonte, 2013 Ohio 3804 (Ohio Ct. App. 2013). · cites it 7× “Ohio Rev. Code §2903.22 is unconstitutionally indefinite and vague and, therefore, violates the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and Article I, Section 16 of the Constitution of the State of Ohio.”
State v. Cox, 2016 Ohio 3250 (Ohio Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 5× “Appellant was charged with menacing in violation of R.C. 2903.22. The case proceeded to bench trial in the Alliance Municipal Court.”
State v. Groves, 2019 Ohio 5025 (Ohio Ct. App. 2019). “06(A)(l)), and one count of Menacing (R.C. 2903.22). He entered a plea of not guilty to all charges and subsequently changed his plea to guilty to one count of Aggravated Trespass and one count of Criminal Trespass with the balance of the charges dismissed as part of a plea…”
State v. Harvey, 2023 Ohio 4454 (Ohio Ct. App. 2023). · cites it 4× “The interaction started with 1 In April 2023, after Harvey’s conviction, R.C. 2903.22(A) was rewritten to include a second type of menacing offense.”
State v. Marks, 2024 Ohio 4863 (Ohio Ct. App. 2024). · cites it 5× “21 or Section 2903.22.” Third, he declares he “was clearly prejudiced by the failure of the Trial Court to include the menacing instructions in the final instructions.”
In re P.T., 2013 Ohio 3881 (Ohio Ct. App. 2013). · cites it 4× “a delinquent child for the offense of inducing panic and the lesser included offense of menacing in violation of R.C. 2903.22. The juvenile court held a dispositional hearing on January 11, 2013 and February 7, 2013, wherein P.”
State v. McConnaughey, 2021 Ohio 3320 (Ohio Ct. App. 2021). · cites it 2× “21(A) and menacing under R.C. 2903.22(A). He now appeals, setting forth four assignments of error.”
State v. Peterson, 2021 Ohio 3947 (Ohio Ct. App. 2021). · cites it 2× “21(A), a misdemeanor of the first degree, and (5) menacing, a violation of R.C. 2903.22, a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.”
Show all 158 citing cases →
— Ohio Rev. Code § 2903.22(A) — 70 cases
State v. Intihar, 2015 Ohio 5507 (Ohio Ct. App. 2015). “{¶ 3} On April 29, 2015, following a one-day jury trial, the jury found Intihar not guilty of aggravated menacing, but guilty of the lesser included offense of menacing in violation of R.C. 2903.22(A), a fourth-degree misdemeanor.”
State v. Velez, 2014 Ohio 1788 (Ohio Ct. App. 2014). “{¶14} R.C. 2903.22 sets forth the offense of menacing and provides: “No person shall knowingly cause another to believe that the offender will cause physical harm to the person * * *.”
State v. Whitehead, 2019 Ohio 5141 (Ohio Ct. App. 2019). “21(A), one count of menacing in violation of R.C. 2903.22(A), one count of loitering in violation of R.”
State v. Cox, 2016 Ohio 3250 (Ohio Ct. App. 2016). “Appellant was charged with menacing in violation of R.C. 2903.22. The case proceeded to bench trial in the Alliance Municipal Court.”
State v. McConnaughey, 2021 Ohio 3320 (Ohio Ct. App. 2021). “21(A) and menacing under R.C. 2903.22(A). He now appeals, setting forth four assignments of error.”
— Ohio Rev. Code § 2903.22(A)(1) — 17 cases
State v. Harvey, 2023 Ohio 4454 (Ohio Ct. App. 2023). “The interaction started with 1 In April 2023, after Harvey’s conviction, R.C. 2903.22(A) was rewritten to include a second type of menacing offense.”
State v. Pierce, 2024 Ohio 5357 (Ohio Ct. App. 2024).
State v. Szafranski, 2025 Ohio 1104 (Ohio Ct. App. 2025).
State v. Howard, 2025 Ohio 999 (Ohio Ct. App. 2025).
State v. Marks, 2024 Ohio 4863 (Ohio Ct. App. 2024). “21 or Section 2903.22.” Third, he declares he “was clearly prejudiced by the failure of the Trial Court to include the menacing instructions in the final instructions.”
— Ohio Rev. Code § 2903.22(A)(1)(D)(1) — 1 case
State v. Barnes, 2023 Ohio 897 (Ohio Ct. App. 2023).
— Ohio Rev. Code § 2903.22(A)(1)(a) — 1 case
In re Disqualification of Wollscheid, 2024 Ohio 6176 (Ohio 2024).
— Ohio Rev. Code § 2903.22(A)(2) — 2 cases
Rose v. May (N.D. Ohio 2025).
Rose v. May (N.D. Ohio 2025).
— Ohio Rev. Code § 2903.22(B) — 2 cases
State v. Harris, 2024 Ohio 1804 (Ohio Ct. App. 2024).
State v. Lee, 2021 Ohio 2925 (Ohio Ct. App. 2021).
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