Darien Risk of Injury to Minor Lawyer
As any of the best Darien Connecticut criminal lawyers know all too well, Connecticut’s child abuse criminal laws are extremely broad and open-ended. As a result, you can easily get arrested in Darien Connecticut for Risk of Injury to a Minor / Child Endangerment. Top Darien Connecticut criminal lawyers appreciate that an arrest in Darien Connecticut for Risk of Injury to a Minor under C.G.S. § 53-21 is actually a felony, and in some cases, may even require sex offender registration. And to make matters even more complicated, a Darien Connecticut arrest for Risk of Injury to a Minor / Child Endangerment usually triggers an immediate investigation of you and your children by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF).
So with almost every Darien Connecticut arrest for Risk of Injury to a Minor under CGS 53-21, not only are you facing a battle in criminal court, but you are also facing a high-level Darien Connecticut DCF investigation. With so much of your life under a microscope and your criminal record at risk, it is critical to consult with a top Darien Connecticut criminal lawyer attorney to learn how to fight your Darien Connecticut Risk of Injury arrest, with the ultimate goal of getting your Darien Connecticut Risk of Injury dismissed as quickly and cost-efficiently as possible.
The Letter of the Law: Risk of Injury to a Minor Arrests in Darien Connecticut
The best Darien Connecticut criminal lawyers know the nuances of Connecticut’s Risk of Injury / Child Endangerment laws. The statute is divided into 2 important categories of crimes: (i) one section (drafted in ridiculously broad language) that forbids you from impairing the health or morals of a child; and (ii) another section that forbids you from engaging in sexual contact with a minor child. And although each subsection carries its own sets of penalties and punishments, an arrest in Darien Connecticut for Risk of Injury is a felony charge in every scenario. So if you are a parent who intends on either volunteering at your child’s school, or wants to coach a sports team, or might be looking for a new job at some point where you will be subject to a criminal background check, then you will want to keep reading about how to position yourself with the best chance to get your Darien Connecticut Risk of Injury arrest dismissed. And for more specific information on fighting Connecticut Risk of Injury arrests, click here for more information.
Non-Sexual Contact Risk of Injury Arrests in Darien Connecticut under C.G.S. § 53-21(a)(1)
Under the first subsection of Connecticut General Statutes § 53-21(a)(1), a person may not place a child under the age of 16 in physical danger, or may not compromise the child’s moral, physical or mental health. As the top Darien Connecticut criminal lawyers argue, the overly broad language of this subsection gives Darien police wide discretion to arrest you in Darien Connecticut for Risk of Injury to a Minor. Some scenarios that the best Darien Connecticut criminal lawyers have seen lead to Darien Connecticut Risk of Injury arrests include: being drunk or intoxicated around your children, getting into a fight or argument with your spouse or significant other in front of your child, being arrested in Darien Connecticut for DUI / DWI with your kids in the car, getting caught shoplifting while you have your child in tow or in a stroller, inflicting excessive corporal punishment and physical discipline upon your child, or even leaving your child alone in a car or at home as you run a quick errand. ( Follow this link for more information on being arrested in Darien Connecticut for Risk of Injury 53-21 in connection with a Darien Connecticut domestic violence arrest). What is perhaps most frustrating about the above scenarios is that intent is irrelevant—you can get arrested in Darien Connecticut for Risk of Injury to a Minor, even if you do not have the intent to put your child in harm’s way. If an aggressive Darien Connecticut police officer has probable cause to believe your child is at risk, then you can get arrested in Darien for Non-Sexual Contact Felony Risk of Injury to a Minor / Child Endangerment.
Sexual Contact Risk of Injury Arrests in Darien Connecticut under C.G.S. § 53-21(a)(2)
The most serious arrests in Darien Connecticut for Risk of Injury fall under the Sexual Contact with Intimate Parts subsection, C.G.S. § 53-21(a)(2). You can get arrested in Darien Connecticut for Risk of Injury under C.G.S. § 53-21(a)(2) for having sexual contact with the intimate parts of a child under 16 years old, when such contact jeopardizes the health or morals of the child. Top Darien Connecticut criminal lawyers and attorneys understand that Connecticut penal law defines “intimate parts” as a child’s genital areas, buttocks, anus, groin, and inner thighs. While this Risk of Injury subsection is narrow in scope and definition, Darien police can still exercise a lot of subjective discretion when deciding what type of conduct compromises the “health or morals” of a child. For example, a parent, babysitter, nanny, cousin or even an older teenage sibling who bathes a child or horses around with a child must be extremely cautious, as you can run the risk of an arrest in Darien for Risk of Injury if you are accused of sexual misconduct. Darien Police Youth Officers, along with Darien Connecticut DCF investigators, will not take any chances with allegations of sexual assault on a child—especially on close cases that hang on the credibility of the accuser. Law enforcement may very well err on the side of caution and arrest you, then let the criminal justice system ferret out the ultimate determination of your guilt or innocence.
Darien Risk of Injury Arrests for Leaving Your Child Unsupervised in a Car
It can happen to any Darien Connecticut parent. You’ve got your kids sleeping in car seats and you have to run a quick errand—pick up the dry cleaning, purchase a single grocery store item, or grab a cup of coffee. You don’t want to disturb your children, and you know you will be in and out of the store within 5 minutes. So you leave your child in the car and run your errand. However, while you are inside, a well-meaning citizen sees your child sleeping in the car and calls the police. Next thing you know, you are arrested in Darien Connecticut for Risk of Injury under 53-21 for leaving your child unsupervised in a car.
Make no mistake—arrests in Darien Connecticut for Risk of Injury / Leaving Your Child Unsupervised in a Car happen all the time. This is probably one of the most commonly misunderstood crimes and arrests we see in small towns like Darien, New Canaan and Greenwich Connecticut. What Darien Connecticut police do not realize, however, is that they sometimes over-charge parents with a felony Risk of Injury arrest in Darien. While top Darien Connecticut criminal lawyers maintain that the police should just issue a warning in these situations, if an arrest must be made in these scenarios, then it should be an arrest in Darien Connecticut for Leaving a Child Unsupervised in a Motor Vehicle in violation of C.G.S. § 53-21a. Click this link to learn more about fighting your arrest in Darien Connecticut for Leaving a Child Unsupervised in a Car / Risk of Injury.
Fighting Darien Connecticut >DCF Investigations & Risk of Injury Arrests
Top Darien Connecticut DCF lawyers know that if you are arrested in Darien Connecticut for 53-21 Risk of Injury, then the Darien Police Department will usually make a referral to Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families (“DCF”), which triggers an invasive and exhaustive investigation of you and your family. These DCF investigations are separate and distinct from your criminal case. Darien Connecticut DCF investigators are required by law to immediately contact and interview you, your family, your children, as well as any professionals with whom your children have contact such as teachers, medical doctors, dentists and therapists. In fact, Darien Connecticut DCF investigators may actually show up unannounced at your front door to interview you. Remember, however, that you have rights: the right to an attorney; the right to tell the DCF investigatory to come back at a mutually convenient time when you are better prepared for their questioning; and the right to be accompanied by a top Connecticut DCF Investigation lawyer attorney during the entire Connecticut DCF investigation. The goal of any top Darien Connecticut DCF lawyer is to shut this investigation down as quickly as possible, without DCF making any findings of abuse or neglect against you, and without you being written into the public DCF registry as someone who poses a threat to the safety of your children. Click here to learn more about fighting a Darien DCF Investigation.
What are the Penalties for a Risk of Injury Charge?
If you plead guilty or are found guilty after trial in Darien Connecticut for CGS 53-21 Risk of Injury / Child Endangerment, you can face up to 20 years in jail, a maximum $15,000 fine, sex offender probation, and possibly face mandatory public registration as a sex offender (all depending on whether you are guilty of sexual contact with the intimate parts of a child). If the sexual contact is with a child under 13 years old, then a guilty plea to a Darien Connecticut Risk of Injury arrest requires a minimum of 5 years in jail. Few criminal charges put so much at stake – personal, family, and professional reputations can be damaged beyond repair. That’s why it is wise to immediately contact a top Darien Connecticut Risk of Injury criminal lawyer the moment you learn you are being investigated for these charges.
Darien Connecticut Statutory Rape Arrests & Related Risk of Injury Charges
The best Darien Connecticut statutory rape and sex assault lawyers often see law enforcement agencies like the Darien Police Department make arrests for both Statutory Rape (also known as Second Degree Sexual Assault under C.G.S. § 53a-71) in addition to arrests in Darien Connecticut for CGS 53-21 Risk of Injury – Intimate Parts. The cumulative effect of these arrests and charges give state prosecutors an unfair advantage—essentially giving them a fallback option to obtain a conviction. You see, if prosecutors cannot prove a Darien statutory rape or sexual assault took place (specifically, some form of sexual or digital penetration), then they still have the overly broad and easier-to-prove Darien Connecticut Risk of Injury arrest to pursue, which just requires proof of contact (as opposed to penetration) with the intimate parts of a child. In the minds of many top Darien Connecticut criminal lawyers, this prosecutorial safety net of being able to arrest you in Darien Connecticut for both Risk of Injury and Statutory Rape is unfair and heavy-handed, all the more reason to consult with a top Connecticut Risk of Injury criminal lawyer attorney right away. Follow this link for more on fighting Darien Connecticut statutory rape arrests.
Contact a Darien Connecticut Risk of Injury Lawyer Today
As you can see, a C.G.S. § 53-21 Risk of Injury arrest in Darien Connecticut has many moving parts: possible felony conviction exposure, a corresponding DCF investigation, and catastrophic damage to your personal and professional reputations. Therefore, if you have been arrested in Darien Connecticut for Risk of Injury / Child Endangerment, contact a criminal lawyer at Mark Sherman Law today. We will work as swiftly and cost-effectively as possible with you to fight your Darien Connecticut Risk of Injury arrest, with the goal of getting your case dismissed and getting your Darien Connecticut arrest report removed off the internet. Additionally, our “two-attorney guarantee” ensures that your case file will be thoroughly analyzed by at least two of our experienced Connecticut criminal lawyers. We will also run swift and effective interference with DCF investigators to keep them from contacting your children’s educators and health care providers. So contact us today. We are available 24/7 to take your call.