Which scenario constitutes aggravated battery?

• A. The offender unintentionally bumps into the victim.
• B. The offender caused bodily harm but with consent.
• C. The offender intentionally or knowingly caused great bodily harm, permanent disability, permanent disfigurement to the victim; or used a deadly weapon.
• D. The offender threatened but did not touch.

Answer: (C)

Aggravated battery is charged when the harm is particularly severe or a weapon is involved during the assault. The defining elements are intentionally or knowingly causing great bodily harm, permanent disability, permanent disfigurement, or using a deadly weapon. This makes the act a more serious offense than ordinary battery.

In the scenario that fits, the offender is shown as intentionally or knowingly causing substantial harm that meets the criteria of great bodily harm, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement, or the offender uses a deadly weapon. Those factors elevate the conduct to aggravated battery.

The other situations don’t reach that heightened level: an unintentional bump shows a lack of purposeful harm, harming someone with consent doesn’t automatically meet the serious-harm or weapon-use threshold, and a threat without any contact involves no actual harm.