If you are a Riverside County resident and are facing child abuse allegations you should contact a criminal defense attorney immediately. Oftentimes, parents are charged with abuse and are not even certain what led to the charges.
California laws regarding child abuse
Like most states, California has clear statues regarding what is considered abuse of a child. Child abuse may be defined as:
Physical abuse – when a child is injured through shaking, slapping, beating and burning it is considered physical abuse, even if the injury was an accident.
Emotional abuse – when parents engage in actions that are dangerous to a child’s mental health such as verbal abuse these charges could be filed.
Neglect – while child neglect is an act of omission it falls under the category of abuse. This is when a child suffers harm due to improper supervision, or when a child’s needs are not being met.
Sexual abuse – unfortunately thousands of children a year suffer sexual abuse. In some cases, a child may make up a story and tell an authority figure they were sexual molested as a way of getting attention or in retaliation.
California, similar to most states, has an anonymous system for reporting child abuse and sadly, some of these calls are made by parents who are going through a divorce, a neighbor who has had a disagreement or even by a family member as a way of “getting even” with someone.
When can a parent face abuse charges?
Sometimes a parent will grab their child to keep them from falling, or to keep them out of danger. Unfortunately, in some of these cases, the child may be left with bruising and in extreme cases, the parent may be charged with abuse even though the bruising was accidental.
If you are facing any type of child abuse charges in Riverside County, contact Law Office of Nicolai Cocis and Associates immediately. We represent individuals charged with child abuse as well as other types of criminal charges in Corona, Murrieta, Lake Elsinore, Temecula, Menifee, Wildomar, Perris, Banning, Hemet and Riverside areas of California. We are conveniently located near the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, California.