Fight for Your Family, Child Endangerment Defense
One of the most difficult accusations is that you are a danger to your own child. If found guilty, you may face time in jail and loss of custody of your child. And all this happens under the unforgiving public eye. There are a surprising number of ways that you can find yourself in need of Dallas child abuse defense or charged with child endangerment. The public views these charges as very similar, but the law establishes pivotal differences between abuse and endangerment.
Abandoning or endangering a child is defined as the act of placing a child under age 15 in danger through abandonment. The Dallas child endangerment laws specify two conditions to the designation:
- If the defendant clearly intended to return to the child, it’s a state jail felony.
- If the defendant clearly had no intention of returning, it’s a felony of the third degree.
One of the common consequences of both child abandonment and child abuse charges is the termination of parental rights, which is a process rather than an immediate action. To have the greatest chance of success, you need to bring in a child abuse defense lawyer as soon as possible. When a complaint is made, Child Protective Services conducts an investigation to understand what is happening in your home. If the report is negative, you may be criminally charged. The custody of the child and termination of all parental rights may be at stake.
False reports to CPS are not unusual. Ex-spouses often report their former partners in order to gain full custody of a child. Other times, a report of an isolated incident by a teacher or social worker balloons into a full investigation. At this point, accusers may choose to prosecute to save face.
A single mistake may threaten your ability to keep your family together, get legal advice from an attorney who understands Dallas child abuse laws.
Fight for Your Family, Child Endangerment Defense
One of the most difficult accusations is that you are a danger to your own child. If found guilty, you may face time in jail and loss of custody of your child. And all this happens under the unforgiving public eye. There are a surprising number of ways that you can find yourself in need of Dallas child abuse defense or charged with child endangerment. The public views these charges as very similar, but the law establishes pivotal differences between abuse and endangerment.
Abandoning or endangering a child is defined as the act of placing a child under age 15 in danger through abandonment. The Dallas child endangerment laws specify two conditions to the designation:
- If the defendant clearly intended to return to the child, it’s a state jail felony.
- If the defendant clearly had no intention of returning, it’s a felony of the third degree.
One of the common consequences of both child abandonment and child abuse charges is the termination of parental rights, which is a process rather than an immediate action. To have the greatest chance of success, you need to bring in a child abuse defense lawyer as soon as possible. When a complaint is made, Child Protective Services conducts an investigation to understand what is happening in your home. If the report is negative, you may be criminally charged. The custody of the child and termination of all parental rights may be at stake.
False reports to CPS are not unusual. Ex-spouses often report their former partners in order to gain full custody of a child. Other times, a report of an isolated incident by a teacher or social worker balloons into a full investigation. At this point, accusers may choose to prosecute to save face.
A single mistake may threaten your ability to keep your family together, get legal advice from an attorney who understands Dallas child abuse laws.