Defending Clients Accused of Crimes against Children

If you are accused of a crime involving child abuse or exploitation, you need to seek legal counsel immediately. Many of these crimes are considered felonies in Texas. As a consequence, many carry severe penalties that include several years or decades in prison and fines involving thousands of dollars.

An experienced attorney may be able to help you avoid or mitigate these penalties. At Keith & Lorfing, our dedicated criminal defense attorney has the experience, knowledge, and skill it takes to help people accused of child exploitation crimes.

We understand that there are circumstances where someone’s behavior is misinterpreted, a false accusation gets out of hand, or someone is misidentified as a perpetrator. Even if you know your guilt for a criminal accusation against you, it’s possible that you were overcharged for the offense. In any of these situations, our Abilene child exploitation attorney can help you defend against your charges and fight for a more favorable outcome that protects your rights.

For more information about our legal services, contact us online or call (325) 308-6960.

Criminal Charges Involving Children

There are a number of different crimes involving children that can result in severe penalties if one is convicted. Many of these crimes involve physical, emotional, and/or sexual harm committed against a minor.

Some of these crimes include the following:

• Child abuse and neglect
• Child molestation
• Child pornography
• Child sex trafficking

If you are accused of any of these or a similar crime, you must seek legal counsel as soon as possible. Doing so can help you avoid unnecessary legal consequences, especially if you are not responsible for the charges against you.

Child Abuse & Neglect

Those who are accused of purposely acting or failing to act in a manner that can endanger a child. While this can include physical and sexual forms of abuse, such as assault or sexual assault, it can also include allegations or emotional or psychological torment against a child.

Child abuse and neglect often take shape in the following ways:

• Placing a child in – or failing to remove them from – a physically, sexually, or psychologically abusive situation
• Failing to provide for a child’s basic needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, or medical care
• Physically injuring a child or placing them in harm’s way
• Failing to take reasonable action to prevent another person from harming a child
• Forcing or persuading a child to engage in sexual conduct
• Allowing a child to engage in sexual conduct
• Providing or forcing a child to consume a controlled substance

Some acts of child abuse and neglect are state jail felonies punishable by six months to two years in jail. Others are more serious felonies that can be punished by several decades in prison to 99 years of incarceration.

Child Molestation

Under Texas law, child molestation involves sexual conduct, abuse, or indecency with someone younger than 17 years old. Depending upon the age of the victim and other circumstances, child molestation can be charged as a third, second, or first-degree felony. In most cases, more severe felonies are charged when the victim is younger than 14 and there are more than one sexual encounters alleged.

Our child exploitation attorney in Abilene knows that many child molestation accusations can arise when a child describes innocent behavior in a manner that alarms adults. In attempting to investigate what happened, these adults can often coach a child (who may be eager to please) into describing events that never occurred.

Child molestation allegations are serious, and the casework needed to build a convincing defense is complicated. Reach out to Keith & Lorfing to learn more about how we apply our personalized approach to each client’s defense to help them increase their odds of securing a better outcome.

Child Pornography

The possession and promotion of child pornography are, respectively, third and second-degree felonies in Texas.

Possessing child pornography means that you knowingly or intentionally had or accessed visual material that depicted a child younger than 18 years old engage in sexual conduct. “Sexual conduct” refers to all real or simulated forms of sexual contact and the exhibition of genitals.

Producing or promoting such material means someone was involved in creating the media depicting children engaged in sexual conduct or distributing it by any means. Someone who is charged with producing and promoting child pornography can also be additionally charged with possessing it.

Child Sex Trafficking

Human trafficking of all kinds is becoming a greater concern among the general public. This is especially the case for human trafficking involving children for sexual purposes. Anyone who is alleged to be involved in trafficking, recruiting, harboring, enticing, or participating in these activities by any other means can be charged with sex trafficking involving children.

As with other crimes involving child exploitation, sometimes people can face false accusations, misidentification, or other circumstances that incorrectly implicate them. If you are someone who needs help fighting charges like these, reach out to our child exploitation attorney in Abilene for legal assistance!

Contact Keith & Lorfing online today or call (325) 308-6960 to request a consultation.