Tampa Crimes Involving Minors Attorney

Criminal Law Lawyers in Tampa Bay since 1997

Virtually every crime in Florida is punished more harshly when the victim is a child. And the degree of felony may be increased depending on the age of the child, meaning that sexual battery of a 10-year-old would be punished more severely than sexual battery of a 17-year-old. If you are facing a crime involving a minor, you need a Tampa attorney who has in-depth knowledge pertaining to Florida’s statutes of crimes against children and a lawyer who will carefully craft the ideal defense strategy for your situation.  Contact the Tampa criminal defense attorneys of All Criminal Defense Law Group, P.A. for immediate assistance, before speaking with law enforcement.  We offer a free consultation to discuss the issues involved in your case and we will give you the options available to you.

Examples of Crimes Involving Minors

• Child abuse, aggravated child abuse, child neglect, or aggravated child neglect – Child abuse and neglect are serious offenses in Florida, and vary in degree of severity, as per Florida statute 827.03. For example, aggravated child abuse, such as unlawfully caging a child or maliciously punishing a child, is a first degree felony, punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Simple child abuse, such as the intentional infliction of mental of physical injury upon a child, is a third degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison if no serious injury occurs. Child abuse and neglect are very difficult to defend against, and your actions or words can be twisted around in court to mean something that you did not intend.
• Contributing to the delinquency of a minor – Any action by an adult that is illegal and in the presence of a minor or encourages the minor to break the law is considered contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Common examples are allowing a child to drink underage and giving permission for a minor to stay home from school, thereby committing truancy
• Abandoning a small child in a hot car or at home for a long period of time – Florida Statute 316.6135 states that it is unlawful for any person to leave a child younger than age six in a car for more than 15 minutes or for any period of time if the child is in distress, their health is in danger, or the car is left running.
• Other serious crimes that involve children include the following, and more:
  • Traveling to meet a minor to commit unlawful sexual conduct;
  • Failing to report child abuse or neglect;
  • Possessing or creating child pornography; and
  • Engaging in sexual acts with a minor.

Contact our Tampa Lawyers for Experienced Legal Help

Crimes against minors are deeply upsetting to judges and juries, and when the charges are simply read in court, they can immediately sway people’s opinion to thinking the accused is guilty. Beating crimes that involve minors or reducing the sentencing requires an attorney with a vast amount of knowledge and experience dealing with such charges. Please do not hesitate to call the compassionate and responsive Tampa criminal defense attorneys today for unparalleled legal help. Call us today at 813-672-1900 or email us to schedule a free consultation to talk about your case and what can be done to help you with it.

If it is after hours and you have an emergency situation, please call 813-551-3903.