Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor in Fort Collins and Larimer County is charged when an adult encourages a child to break the law. A mother was recently sentenced for this crime, along with Child Abuse resulting in death, after her 2-year-old son accidentally shot himself. According to the report, the mother had left a loaded handgun out where the child could access it. The boy had previously used a squirt gun to shoot water into his mouth and thought the gun would do the same. The mother was originally charged with Child Abuse resulting in death, but ended up also pleading to two counts of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor. It may be that the two Contributing counts were added in order for the DA to get the sentencing ranges that they wanted. The mother was sentenced to 12 years for the Child Abuse, and 6 years for each of the Contributing charges, for a total of 24 years in prison.
Larimer County Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor Attorney: What is Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor?
The Larimer County, Colorado law definition of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor – C.R.S. 18-6-701 – is:
Unless there were details left out of the new article, Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor doesn’t really seem to fit the situation. Leaving the gun out (along with an ax and drug paraphernalia) doesn’t necessarily mean that she was encouraging the child to break the law. She wasn’t protecting the child from danger to be sure, though, which is why Child Abuse was charged.
Sentence for Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor in Loveland and Estes Park
Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor is a class 4 felony, which is punishable by 2 to 6 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.