A Proven Criminal Defense Team

Colorado mother suspected of less obvious form of child abuse

On Behalf of | Sep 10, 2011 | Domestic Violence |

Authorities in Colorado take suspicion of child abuse very seriously. An accusation of child abuse is a life-changing, damaging thing for any parent, and one Colorado mother is living with that hardship after an incident on Thursday.

According to a Denver source, police responded to a call they got from a tanning salon on Thursday and ended up citing a mother in the salon with suspicion of child abuse. This case proves that the system defines abuse in various ways outside of the more obvious forms of it. Abuse isn’t just violence; it can also be neglect. It’s an important lesson for all parents and child caregivers need to hear.

Why is the Colorado mother potentially in trouble in this case? The salon called police because a staff member reportedly realized that a client in their salon went in to tan while leaving her 11-month-old baby in the car. Unbeknownst to her, and to many other people, it is against the law to leave a child in a car unattended. It’s especially dangerous when the weather is hot.

On Thursday, it was about 96 degrees outside, and the inside of a car gets significantly hotter without the air conditioner running. When the child was taken out of the car by police, it was a reported 135 degrees inside. Sources indicate that the baby is healthy in this case, but that doesn’t save the mother from potential legal consequences.

The mother accused of suspected child abuse has no criminal history and reportedly was completely unaware that she wasn’t supposed to leave her child in the car. She is not alone in not knowing that law, but lack of knowledge doesn’t save people from winding up in legal trouble. As we mentioned earlier, a mere allegation of child abuse has a great impact on a person’s reputation and life. Someone who is facing such an allegation shouldn’t hesitate to work with experienced legal counsel.

Source

ABC 7 News: “Police: Mom Went Tanning, Left Baby In Hot Car,” Deb Stanley, Sep. 2, 2011

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