(a) It is unlawful for any notary public to witness any signature on any instrument unless the notary public either:(1) Witnesses the signing of the instrument and personally knows the signer or is presented proof of the identity of the signer; or(2) Recognizes the signature of the signer by virtue of familiarity with the signature.
(1) Witnesses the signing of the instrument and personally knows the signer or is presented proof of the identity of the signer; or
(2) Recognizes the signature of the signer by virtue of familiarity with the signature.
(b) Any notary public violating this section shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
(c) For purposes of this section, “personally knows” means having an acquaintance, derived from association with the individual, which establishes the individual's identity with at least a reasonable certainty.