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Photo Of Kyle B. Sawyer

Charged With A Crime? It Doesn’t Mean You’re Guilty.

Enticement of a Child in Colorado, 18-3-305 – Part 1 – The Media

On Behalf of | Nov 10, 2014 | Enticement of a Child |

Allegations of sexual misconduct are always serious, but Enticement of a Child, C.R.S. 18-3-305, is considered by some to be the worst of the worse. Our Criminal Defense Lawyers often defendant Enticement of a Child charges, which are charged as a class 4 felony in Colorado but can also be charged as a more serious class 3 felony in Weld, Jefferson, or Adams County, if the defendant has ever been convicted of any other sex crime against a child before.

Definition of Enticement in Colorado

Enticement of a Child is roughly defined as inviting or trying to persuade a child (under the age of fifteen) to enter a vehicle, building, or secluded place with the intent to commit sexual assault upon the child. I don’t want to diminish the seriousness of this crime, but my 25 years as a Criminal Defense lawyer working in the Denver Metro area and across Colorado has made me skeptical of the news. Also, I don’t buy into the suggestion which says kids don’t lie. In part one of this blog, I will address the media, and in part two, I will discuss why kids sometimes lie when making sexual assault allegations.

Denver News Media Loves to Create Drama for News Ratings

In November of last year CBS Denver published an online article about two separate incidents. The headline read, “Police Investigating Enticement of a Child in Broomfield County.” I don’t know what actually happened, but the reported facts don’t support the conclusion of Enticement of a Child. I believe the Denver media thrives on hyping up stories designed to make people afraid. They love to build drama, which equals ratings. Police agencies in Douglas and Arapahoe County buy into the hype because it increases the perception for a greater need to be protected. Let’s take a closer look at the Broomfield, Colorado story to see if it was worthy of the fear it generated.

Reported Conduct Does Not Amount to Criminal Activity

The first incident was described as a white or Hispanic man in his 40’s who offered a 14 year old girl a ride home. The girl refused, and the suspect left. The second incident involved two teen girls who were asked by a teen or 20 year old guy, to talk. According to the girls, the guy followed them home, and left. The news article ties both incidents together by saying “the men have tried twice to get girls inside their cars.” We don’t know the intentions of the suspects, but we know it would not make a good story if the reporter said, there have been a couple unrelated incidents where men tried to talk to girls, when the men were ignored, the men left.

I am glad I did not grow up in a time where I could be arrested for Enticement of a Child for talking to girls from my car, but times are different. If you are accused of Enticement of a Child, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and call a criminal defense attorney at 303-731-0719. Together we can protect your future.