In Fort Collins and Loveland, Reckless Endangerment is charged when a person is accused of doing something that creates a risk of injury to another. I recently read a ridiculous article where a mother was arrested for Reckless Endangerment after her 10-year-old son walked to a store. According to the report, the mother had left the son home alone to take another one of her children to the doctor’s office. While she was out, the 10-year-old left the home and walked to the store. He was contacted by law enforcement about a mile from his home. When law enforcement questioned why she hadn’t reported the child as missing, she said he wasn’t missing and that he knew how to get home. She was charged with Reckless Endangerment. An offer was made for her to fill out a safety plan where she would use her son’s GPS to locate him at all times. The woman refused to sign because it felt like she would be admitting to doing something wrong and she doesn’t feel that she did. At w
Reckless Endangerment Attorney in Larimer County: How is Reckless Endangerment Charged in Colorado?
The Larimer County, Colorado law definition of Reckless Endangerment – C.R.S. 18-3-208 – is:
I wish I could understand how they went about charging this crime. Was she acting reckless by leaving her son home alone? Was it reckless to allow him to walk to the store? And what was the risk of serious bodily injury? It’s not a toddler wandering into a street. The child likely knows how to look for cars and cross the street at crosswalks.
Interestingly, in Colorado, 10 is the minimum age for a person to be charged with a crime. So, your 10-year-old can be held responsible for their actions and charged for criminal behavior, but can’t walk to the store? At what point do we allow people to parent their own children. Maybe you wouldn’t let your child walk to the store, but that doesn’t mean you get to say it’s criminal for someone else to allow it.
Penalty for Reckless Endangerment in Loveland
Reckless Endangerment is a class 2 misdemeanor. The penalty for this level misdemeanor is up to 120 days in the Larimer County Jail.
If you or someone you love has been charged with Reckless Endangerment, 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 a free initial consultation. Together, we can protect your future.
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