Child Abuse is charged in Greeley and Weld County when a person injures or allows a child to be in a situation where they could be injured. The excuse that no one was hurt doesn’t work for this crime. A mother was recently arrested for Child Abuse after allowing her children to ride on top of her car. According to the report, the mother had an inflatable pool she needed to transport and didn’t want it to fly off when driving home. So, she had her daughters climb into the pool on top of the car to hold it down while she drove. People noticed the two girls sitting in the pool and immediately alerted the police. The mother was arrested and charged for allowing her girls to be in a dangerous situation, that could have resulted in injury or death.
Child Abuse Lawyer Near Me in Greeley: Definition of Child Abuse on a Car in Morgan and Logan County
The Weld, Morgan, and Logan County, Colorado law definition of Child Abuse – C.R.S. 18-6-401 – is:
Because the mom allowed her children to be in a situation that could have caused serious injury or death, she was arrested and charged with the Child Abuse crime.
Sentence for Car Child Abuse in Sterling and Fort Morgan
There are two factors that go into determining how to classify child abuse:
- Level of injury sustained; and
- Intent.
For the mother above, it would likely be argued that she acted knowingly or recklessly (intent). It would be hard to argue that she didn’t know driving around with a child unrestrained on top of the car could be dangerous. Because the children did not sustain any injuries, the mother would probably be facing the class 2 misdemeanor Child Abuse charge.
If you or someone you love has been charged with Child Abuse, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and contact the best criminal defense attorneys from the O’Malley Law Office at 970-616-6009 to schedule a free consultation today. Together, we can protect your future.
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