Delaware HB 276

This House Substitute for House Bill No. 276 permits the value of items stolen at separate times to be grouped and prosecuted as one charge, if the thefts were part of a course of conduct. This House Substitute differs from the original in that it defines “course of conduct” and restructures the statute to place the additional language regarding a course of conduct in the operative language regarding what must be shown in order to elevate the penalty for higher dollar value thefts. This means that the course of conduct is an element of the offense that must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The theft statute otherwise remains the same. Like the original bill, this substitute makes technical corrections to conform with the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.