Utah Criminal Defense Attorney
Have You Been Charged with Reckless Endangerment?
You may have felt justified and in control when you did something that someone else considered to be “reckless endangerment of a child.” Or you may have simply experienced a lapse in judgment or “system overload” as you attempted to multitask while caring for your child.
Then again, your former spouse or a “nosy neighbor” may seem to be interfering excessively, scrutinizing your every move as you attempt to go about your business. You feel as if you are under a microscope while living an active life and parenting your child or caring for someone else’s child.
Now you face charges of reckless endangerment because someone reported you to social services or law enforcement — or because a child in your care was injured — or because a police officer witnessed an incident that appeared to put your child in danger.
You are strongly encouraged not to ignore the charges and hope they will go away.
We also wish to warn you of the risks involved in going into an investigation without legal counsel. Even if social service agents simply “ask you to answer a few questions,” it is to your advantage to contact a lawyer sooner rather than later.
What you say and do during a preliminary investigation may make all the difference between jail and freedom — a criminal record and a clean record — a normal parenting relationship with your child and possible disruption of current custody and visitation arrangements.
Were you accused of reckless endangerment of a child because of any of the following?
- Leaving a child in a car unattended.
- Losing track of a child at an amusement park.
- Leaving prescription drugs out where a child had access to them.
- Allowing a child to be in harm’s way, such as having a pit bull with a history of viscous behavior around an unattended baby.
- Failing to protect a child from a known dangerous circumstance such as an unattended backyard pool.
- Putting your child at risk of serious bodily injury by leaving unlocked guns in plain sight.
- Speeding or committing another moving violation with children in the car.
- Not putting a young child in a proper car seat.
- Allowing a child to be in your moving car without a seatbelt.
Greg Smith and Associates are here to offer those who need our advocacy the benefit of our experience, understanding and service. We regularly advise other attorneys and share our insights with the public. Our opinions have been aired on Good Morning America and publicized in national newspapers such as USA Today.
Free Consultations · 24 Hours a Day, Seven Days a Week
Contact us night or day, any day of the week. Our lawyers are ready to talk to you about the steps we will take to defend you in the face of criminal charges such as reckless endangerment of a child in Utah.
