(1) A person commits recruitment of a juvenile for a criminal street gang if he or she is eighteen years of age or older and:
(a) Knowingly solicits, invites, recruits, encourages, coerces, or otherwise causes a person younger than eighteen years of age to actively participate in or become a member of a criminal street gang; or
(b) By use of force, threat, or intimidation directed at any person, or by the infliction of bodily injury upon any person, knowingly prevents a person younger than eighteen years of age from leaving a criminal street gang.
(2) Recruitment of a juvenile for a criminal street gang is a class 1 misdemeanor.
(3) Nothing in this section shall affect the ability to charge criminal offenses under article 17 of this title.