Fort Collins Runaway Contributing to the Delinquency of Minor
Harboring a Runaway Teen

Three people were arrested for Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor after a teenage runaway was found at their home. Read more here.

Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor is a felony crime in Fort Collins and Larimer County. It is charged when a person encourages or allows a minor to violate the law. Three people were recently arrested for this crime after a runaway 14-year-old was found at their home. According to the report, the girl asked her mom to sleep over at a friend’s home. When the mother went to pick her up, she was told that the girl walked home. The girl was reported missing and police searched the home, but didn’t’ find her. When they returned a week later with a warrant, the girl was found ‘intentionally hiding’ in a closet. A hidden door was also discovered, which is where the girl slept. Due to the fact that the arrestees were charged with Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, it’s likely because they allowed the girl to stay at their home, knowing she was a runaway and that her mother did not know where she was.

Larimer County Definition of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor: Housing a Runaway Minor

The Larimer County, Colorado law definition of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor – C.R.S. 18-6-701 – is:

Any person who induces, aids, or encourages a child to violate any federal or state law, municipal or county ordinance, or court order commits contributing to the delinquency of a minor. For the purposes of this section, the term “child” means any person under the age of eighteen years.

It doesn’t matter if you help a child steal something from a store, encourage them to hide from law enforcement and their parent, or even just stay out after curfew, this felony crime could be charged.

Sentence for Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor Runaway in Loveland and Estes Park

In Fort Collins, Loveland, and Estes Park Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor Runaway is a class 4 felony. This level crime is punishable by 2 to 6 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.


If you or someone you love has been charged with Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, 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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