Common Westport Risk of Injury Arrest Charges
A person can be charged with risk of injury under Connecticut General Statute 53-21a when that person willfully or unlawfully causes or permits a child under 16 to be placed in a situation that causes the child harm or puts the child in danger. This would include any sort of unlawful contact with the child, or showing the child any content that could corrupt the child’s morals. There are, essentially, two sub-sections to the statute and they both could be considered child abuse. If you want to know more about common Westport risk of injury arrest charges, seek experienced legal counsel.
What Are Common Potential Risk Of Injury Charges?
In Westport, there are two different laws that someone can be charged with if they leave a child unsupervised in a car. The first one would be a risk of injury charge, which is more serious depending on the circumstances of the day. For example, if it is extremely hot out and the child in question is a baby, a person might be charged with risk of injury if the child could have foreseeably died.
What Are The Consequences for Leaving a Child Unsupervised In A Car?
There is also another statute in Connecticut that a person can be charged with and it is called leaving a child unsupervised in a motor vehicle. This is the same statute but a lesser charge. It is a misdemeanor while the risk of injury charge is a felony, and this one can be any circumstance in which a person leaves a child under the age of 12 unsupervised in a motor vehicle for a period of time that is a risk to the child’s health or safety. Another one of the common Westport risk of arrest injury charges includes the excessive discipline of a child. Depending on the circumstances, it can also be an assault charge or something of that nature.
Common Scenarios Leading to Risk of Injury Arrests
A lot of scenarios in Westport could result in risk of injury arrests. Leaving a child unattended in a vehicle is one of the common Westport risk of injury arrest charges, especially during the summer. Particularly in the past year, there have been more arrests for leaving children unsupervised in motor vehicles. There can also be risk of injury charges involving a domestic violence case in which child is at home during a domestic violence incident.
This can be any scenario in which two parents are in a fight and the police come to the home to investigate and a child is at home. Even if the child’s upstairs in bed asleep at the time of the fight, the parents can be charged with risk of injury if the child is home.
Other scenarios are disciplining a child, drunk driving with a child in a vehicle, breach of peace of the child’s presence, and shoplifting with a child. For example, if a person is caught shoplifting, they will be charged with larceny and if they happen to have a child with them, the adult can be charged with risk of injury because shoplifting is viewed as is impairing the morals of the child.
Contacting a Lawyer
Risk of injury and child endangerment offenses are taken quite seriously in Westport. That is why it is important for those charged with any of the common Westport risk of injury arrest charges, to consult a knowledgeable attorney. A skilled lawyer may have prior experience handling these cases, and could devote the time and resources necessary to build a defense for you. Contact an attorney today and know that you are in competent hands.