Child Endangerment Criminal Defense Attorneys

Aggressively defending charges related to child endangerment in the Van Nuys and San Fernando courts

Bob Schwartz

Of Counsel

Bob Schwartz has been a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney for 43 years. In 2012, Mr. Schwartz was honored as the Criminal Defense Attorney of the Year by the Los Angeles County Bar Association.

Garret Weinrieb

Managing Partner

Garret Weinrieb, a graduate of the UCLA School of Law and the University of California, Berkeley (Phi Beta Kappa), draws on over 20 years of experience as a Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley criminal defense attorney and litigator to aggressively represent and protect his clients’ rights and interests against all felony and misdemeanor criminal charges.

Practice Areas

VAN NUYS CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEYS SPECIALIZING IN DEFENDING BOTH MISDEMEANOR AND FELONY CHILD ENDANGERMENT CHARGES.

CHILD ENDANGERMENT

Child Endangerment, also known as Willful Harm to a Child, is best defined as causing or allowing a child in the defendant’s custody or care to suffer unjustifiable physical pain or mental suffering or to be placed in a situation where the child’s health is endangered.

Child Endangerment is a “wobbler” and can be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony depending on, among other factors, the severity of the alleged child endangerment. Also, it is a separate charge from Child Abuse, which may be charged under Penal Code § 273d.

Elements of a Child Endangerment Charge

The prosecution must prove the following facts to convict a defendant of Child Endangerment:

  • Defendant, under conditions likely to cause a child great injury or death, did any of the following:
  • Willfully caused or permitted a child to suffer unjustifiable physical pain or mental suffering; OR
  • Willfully caused or permitted a child in defendant’s custody to have his or her person or health injured; OR
  • Willfully caused or permitted a child in defendant’s care to be placed in a situation where the child’s person or health is endangered

A common example of a Child Endangerment charge occurs when a spouse, knowing that the other spouse is causing serious harm to their child, either allows or does not prevent the spouse from harming the child.

Punishment for Child Endangerment

Child Endangerment can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony. In deciding whether to file the charge as a misdemeanor or felony, the prosecutor will consider the extent of the severity of the alleged endangerment and the defendant’s criminal history. Punishment for Child Endangerment may include:

Misdemeanor

  • Up to one year in county jail
  • Minimum 4 years probation
  • Minimum one year child abuser’s treatment program, if probation is granted

Felony

  • Two, four or six years in state prison

Defenses to Child Endangerment Charges

Depending on the particular facts of a case, defenses to a Child Endangerment charge may include the following:

  • False Accusations – Children or other adults sometimes falsely accuse a parent or guardian of abuse or endangerment due to anger, prompting by another adult, or for a variety of other reasons

Accident – Defendant did not deliberately do an act to endanger the child

Experienced Defense Lawyers

With over 90 years of combined criminal defense experience, the murder defense legal team at Schwartz & Weinrieb will immediately review all evidence against you. Your case will be an immediate priority and a defense strategy will be determined and immediately employed.

CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY

When you have been arrested and charged with a crime in the Van Nuys or San Fernando courthouses, whether a first DUI offense or a serious felony charge, one rule holds true: do not discuss your case or answer questions until you have legal representation.

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