At Shazam Kianpour & Associates, P.C., we understand that parents accused of child abuse or neglect are not bad, violent people in most cases. Child abuse charges may be false or based on incorrect assumptions.
Just as in assault cases, a person can be charged even if there is no record of abuse or actual physical contact.
Good people who are caught up in a misunderstanding can still be convicted of child abuse or neglect. A simple mistake can result in a criminal record and the state taking your kids away.
Our firm is dedicated to defending parents throughout the Denver metro area and along the Front Range of Colorado who have been accused of, or charged with, child abuse or child neglect.
Child abuse has a very broad definition under Colorado law, and parents can face misdemeanor or felony child abuse charges.
Allegations almost always result in a visit by social services, which could mean that your children will be taken away from you.
Our attorneys focus on helping parents and families facing the consequences of a child abuse allegation or child neglect proceeding, including:
Many parents do not realize that getting a DUI with their children in the car is child abuse under the law.
Parents also face child abuse or neglect charges if they are arrested for use or possession of marijuana or other illegal drugs in their homes when their children are present.
In this case, a parent might also be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, which is a felony.
ompared to most crimes, child abuse charges are considered as serious as it gets by police and prosecutors.
Children are recognized as the ultimate victims since they have no voice outside the home or any way of fighting for their rights.
That being said, the right attorney can make a significant difference in each case. It is not surprising for us to see district attorneys pounding the podium asking the judge to put our clients in jail.
We are also not surprised if the judge instead takes our recommendation and skips jail altogether and just gives our clients some probation and parenting classes.
We fight for our clients’ rights to be heard, and we go to trial or disposition in courthouses all over the state depending on what is best for our clients and their parenting rights.
Our attorneys also represent professionals like day care providers and teachers who have been accused of abusing children in their care.
Most people hear the term misdemeanor and think “Oh good, it’s not a big deal since I avoided a felony charge.”
This couldn’t be further from the truth. Misdemeanor child abuse charges in Colorado can ruin your career, force you outside of your own home, or split up your family and your marriage.
They can also carry up to two years in county jail for each charge.
If you caused the injury to your child “knowingly, or recklessly,” then it is a class 1 misdemeanor (M1), which is the most serious misdemeanor there is in Colorado.
If you were “criminally negligent,” then it can be charged as a class 2 misdemeanor and still carry up to one year in county jail.
In short, yes, she can. And she can also put an ankle monitor on you, make you take drug and alcohol tests, stop you from smoking medical marijuana (even if you have a prescription and a license), and force you to stay away from seeing your own child for as long as she thinks is necessary.
A restraining order not a joke to the state, and you should understand that it means business and it may be looking to make an example out of you.
Colorado law enforcement takes protecting children very seriously, and you should take your case as serious as possible.
Child abuse felonies are incredibly serious cases that need competent and attentive representation.
There are multiple ways to be charged with felony child abuse, and the more serious of them can carry sentences of 24 or even up to a potential 48 years in state prison.
Felonies involving abuse of a child start as a class 4 felony (F4) and depending on the level of injury and the mental state of the actor at the time of commission of the crime, they can be charged as high as a class 2 felony (F2).
At Shazam Kianpour & Associates, P.C., our team of child abuse lawyers has seen the penalties, the probation, the jail, the hardship and the fallout that occurs from the filing and prosecution of these charges.
They can tear families apart forever. We want to prevent that from happening to you and your family.
We have seen many child abuse charges filed improperly by law enforcement. Sometimes there is a misdiagnosis by the child’s pediatrician.
Other times, the parents are the ones who take the child to a children’s hospital in Denver due to an ailment or injury, and next thing you know, they are being cornered, accused and charged by Denver police without any hesitation, or frankly, any meaningful investigation or extended medical analysis.
Occasionally, the outcry comes from a school administrator or a day care provider who calls Human Services or police based on a perceived injury or outcry from a child.
Sometimes we discover it was the very day care that called, that committed the crime by hiding it and trying to blame the parent.
How would it feel to take your baby to a hospital because you feel he has a medical condition?
You are the concerned parent who bothered spending the money, and taking the time to do this while many other parents you know wouldn’t care enough to try, or did not want to waste time or money on a “possible problem” without more glaring proof that their kid is sick, or injured.
Now, for all the diligence and caring you have shown, you are all of a sudden whisked into a small room in the hospital where there are Denver police officers and a physician’s assistant or nurse waiting.
They treat you like you are guilty from the start, jumping at every word you utter that may sound off or odd simply because you are scared about your child’s well-being.
The next day, they come to your house and place you in handcuffs. They claim that the doctor just signed off on an SBI (serious bodily injury) form meaning they think someone hurt your kid and you are the likely suspect.
Now you have to post a $25,000 or $50,000 (or higher) bond just to get out of jail. When you see the judge, you are told you have to move out of your home, that you cannot see your baby.
Law enforcement is trying to cause a rift between you and your spouse. They send Human Services to your house to tell your spouse that if your spouse keeps supporting you and your innocence, that Human Services will deem that neither party is fit to be a parent and the child will be taken away and placed in foster care.
It sounds awful, doesn’t it? Sadly, it happens all the time.
Sometimes we see parents trying to do the things that make them popular with their child or their children’s friends.
Perhaps your teenager is having a party and you decided to buy them some low-alcohol wine coolers, or maybe you made a little punch with a cup of wine in it.
Next thing you know, you are getting a call from a concerned parent because he or she could smell alcohol on his or her child’s breath when his or her teenager came home.
You are about to be charged with the felony crime of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in Colorado. You may be also charged with multiple various forms of child abuse.
Don’t go it alone; these are serious charges and can wreck your life in a heartbeat. Discuss your case with us before you speak to the police or go to court.
Whether you are guilty of something or innocent of everything, we can help you.
Whether it is a plea bargain that restores your parenting rights, or a trial that fights for your justice, we are felony child abuse lawyers who have “been there and done that” for our clients.
If you have been arrested and charged with child abuse, or if you have been informed of a child neglect accusation against you, act quickly.
Contact Shazam Kianpour & Associates, P.C., by calling 303-825-1075 or reach out online to schedule an initial consultation.
