Child Abuse is charged in Fort Collins and Larimer County when a person is accused of injuring a child or putting a child in a situation where they could be injured. A mom was recently arrested and charged with this crime after she went to an extreme to quarantine her child who was suspected of having COVID. According to the report, the mom was bringing her son to the drive thru testing center, but didn’t want to risk catching the virus herself. So, she ‘isolated’ her child by putting him in the trunk. When she arrived at the testing center, the employee heard noises coming from the trunk and the mother was asked to open it. She did and the boy was found. The employee refused to test the boy until he was sitting in the back seat of the car and police were called to report the incident.
Larimer County Child Abuse Lawyer: Definition of Child Abuse in Colorado
The Larimer County, Colorado law definition of Child Abuse – C.R.S. 18-6-401 – is:
Because there are no safety features in the trunk, like a proper seat, seat belt, etc. it would be argued that the mother placed her son in a situation where he could have sustained injuries or death.
Sentence for Trunk Isolations Child Abuse in Loveland and Estes Park
In Fort Collins, Loveland, and Estes Park, Child Abuse is charged as a misdemeanor or felony depending on the intent and level of injury sustained.
Child Abuse Crime Classifications and Charges
- Acting knowingly or recklessly resulting in death to the child – Class 2 felony
- Acting with criminal negligence resulting in death to the child – Class 3 felony
- Acting knowingly or recklessly with serious bodily injury – Class 4 felony
- Acting knowingly or recklessly with an injury other than serious bodily injury – Class 1 misdemeanor
- Acting with criminal negligence with any injury other than serious bodily injury – Class 2 misdemeanor
- Acting knowingly or recklessly with no injury – Class 2 misdemeanor
- Acting with criminal negligence with no injury – Class 3 misdemeanor
Based on the information provided in the article, the boy’s trip in the trunk did not result in any injury. This means a class 2 or class 3 misdemeanor charge would be most likely.
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 970-658-0007 to schedule your free initial consultation. Together, we can protect your future.
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