Being charged with child endangerment can be overwhelming. In addition to criminal penalties, the charge comes with damage to the reputation and potentially losing custody of your children. You may lose your job, have difficulty getting a job, or become ineligible for professional licenses.
When things are overwhelming, it can be tempting to ignore them and hope they will just go away. That approach is generally unsuccessful and outright dangerous if you face criminal charges. The longer you wait to deal with the charges, the fewer options you will have available, so you should seek help from a dedicated criminal defense attorney. Speak to a Doraville child endangerment lawyer as soon as possible to begin exploring the options available to you.
What Is Child Endangerment?
Adults or older children who are left in charge of a child’s welfare and safety could face charges of child endangerment if they do anything to put the child in jeopardy. It can involve long-term neglect, but the acts of endangerment do not have to be long-term to qualify. Caretakers include any adult in charge of children, including parents, teachers, and babysitters.
Child endangerment does not require the child to experience any harm. If the child is in a situation that could result in harm, it is child endangerment. The threat of harm can be direct or indirect.
Some common examples of child endangerment include:
- Leaving children unattended
- Failure to use a car seat or safety belt
- Being intoxicated while caring for a child
- Leaving drugs or weapons where children can access them
The law does not limit what can be considered child endangerment but relies on what reasonable people would think of as dangerous. A child endangerment attorney in Doraville could investigate whether a child could have been harmed in a given situation.
Concurrent Crimes
Often, other charges accompany child endangerment charges. For example, driving while under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs is a crime by itself and child endangerment. When a driver has a child passenger in the car, they could face a stiffer penalty and an additional charge.
Child endangerment charges are also individual to the child. The state can charge a defendant with separate counts of child endangerment for each at-risk child. A single event could lead to multiple felony charges of child endangerment as well as related criminal offenses.
When the concurrent offense is a DUI, and the driver has passengers who are children, the charges are DUI and child endangerment. The charges count as DUI charges for the Department of Driver Services (DDS). As a result, it can influence the potential sentencing for the DUI. Typically, people convicted of a first lifetime DUI are treated like first offenders. However, if the driver has a minor under 14 in the car, then the law treats it like a second offense in five years, which results in a suspended license. If there are multiple children in the car, then the DDS can treat the driver as a habitual offender and revoke their driver’s license.
A lawyer in Doraville with experience in child endangerment cases could argue for a lesser charge or a lighter sentence.
Talk to a Doraville Child Endangerment Attorney
Child endangerment is a misdemeanor for first or second offenders with potential fines as punishment. After the second offense, it is a felony with a potential prison sentence of up to five years and a $10,000 fine. There may also be related charges. The civil consequences are often more severe than the criminal charges, impacting your employability, child custody, and more.
A Doraville child endangerment lawyer could help. From securing the dismissal of the charges to negotiating a plea deal, they could help you examine pre-trial solutions. They could also represent you in court when you want to fight the charges. Schedule a consultation to learn more.