Following her failure to intervene at a fight where her school-aged daughter was a participant, a Denver mother is being charged with Child Abuse and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor. The daughter initially fought against the school bully’s friend, making it onto YouTube with 700 views. As if once wasn’t enough, she fought again, this time against the bully she despised. According to FOX31, the only complication was: her mother was present at the second fight and could be heard cheering the daughter along in her fight. (C.R.S. 18-6-401, C.R.S. 18-6-701).
Colorado Child Abuse involves permitting a child to be unreasonably placed in a situation that poses a threat of injury to the child’s life or health. The Denver mother allegedly allowed the child to fight, and that is alleged to be a case of unreasonably permitting her daughter to be in a situation that posed a risk to the daughter’s health.
Colorado Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor is serious – it is a class 4 felony. The crime is comitted when any person induces, aids, or encourages a child to violate any federal or state law, municipal or county ordinance. It can be argued that because the mother was present and cheering for her daughter in the fight, she “encouraged” the delinquency of her daughter.
The fighting didn’t stop the bullying, either. The best course to end the violence would be to contact school officials. Even contacting law enforcement and filing a restraining order against the bully would have been more effective than allowing the fights to continue.
If convicted of Colorado Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, the mother could face a prison sentence of one year to twelve years in prison. She should have sought out legal assistance instead of encouraging her daughter to fight. Many others, like the mother, will face a similar choice. Taking care of legal issues before they become a larger issue is an important step. At the O’Malley Law Office P.C., we’re prepared to take on your criminal charges head on. When choosing your defense team, you need skill. Skill that only comes from experience. We’ve been defending people from Colorado Child Abuse and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor charges in hundreds of cases in Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson and other Colorado Counties.
If you or a loved one has been contacted by the police regarding a Colorado Child Abuse investigation, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and call us immediately at 303-731-0719. Together, we can protect your future.