Are You Contending With Allegations Of Child Endangerment?
If law enforcement finds that you, as an adult caregiver of a child under the age of 18, have allowed the child in your care to remain in an inappropriate or dangerous circumstance, you could be facing charges of child endangerment. Caregivers who drive under the influence or who become inebriated while children are under their care can be convicted of child endangerment, as can parents who fail to use proper safety restraints for their children while driving. Charges may result from carelessly or negligently exposing a minor to illegal adult environments, such as:
- Domestic violence
- Reckless driving
- Driving while high or drunk
- Illicit drug use in front of the child
- Using firearms without a permit
- Revealing pornography in any form
Few crimes engender feelings of revulsion in American citizens, like those involving children. Being accused of this crime can have long-lasting effects on one’s future, even if you are innocent. Because of the extremely negative connotation that is associated with this crime, it is very important to hire an experienced child endangerment attorney to defend you.
What Happens When You Had No Intention Of Committing A Crime?
It is common for a parent or caregiver to have no intention of committing child endangerment. A child endangerment attorney can help show the prosecutor that the child will be kept away from danger in the future and that you made a mistake and will never make that mistake again. Most child endangerment situations are discovered during the investigation of another crime. For example, when law enforcement is looking for drunk drivers and notices a child in the car of someone who is driving drunk, the charges may be drunk driving as well as child endangerment. Or if police find a meth lab being operated in someone’s home and discover that children are also living in that home, the lab operators can also be charged with child endangerment.
While child endangerment situations may seem clear, controversy does exist. For example, parents who choose not to seek medical advice for a child’s illness due to religious beliefs can be charged with child endangerment in some states. Other states do not allow for criminal investigation in such situations, although laws may change in the future. A skilled criminal defense attorney will help with these intricacies.
Contact Us For A Free Confidential Consultation
Individuals who have been charged with child endangerment should seek the advice of a child endangerment defense attorney. At Stewart, Schmidlin, Bullock & Gourley, PLLC, our criminal defense attorneys handle child endangerment cases. We will help you understand what options are available and what the best line of defense will be under the circumstances. If you have been accused of child endangerment, please contact us day or night for a free and confidential consultation. Call our office in Smithfield at 919-989-8900 for skilled, knowledgeable legal representation.