Child Endangerment

Texas Child Endangerment Defense Attorney


Parents and caregivers have a responsibility to provide adequate care and protect children from dangerous situations, and law enforcement and the courts take child endangerment very seriously. Unfortunately, in some cases, innocent people are wrongfully accused of child endangerment or abandonment, putting them in significant legal peril. In many cases, however, an experienced child endangerment defense lawyer in Texas can help.

Texas Child Endangerment Law

Under Texas law, a person commits this criminal offense if “he intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence, by act or omission, engages in conduct that places a child younger than 15 years in imminent danger of death, bodily injury, or physical or mental impairment.”

The law also prohibits abandoning a child in any place under circumstances that expose the child to an unreasonable risk of harm. In this context, “abandon” means to leave a child in a place without providing reasonable and necessary care for the child, under circumstances under which no reasonable, similarly situated adult would leave a child of that age and ability.

There are a wide variety of acts that could put you at risk of violating this law. Some examples include:

  • Driving drunk with a child in the car
  • Leaving a child in a car on a hot day
  • Using illegal drugs around a child
  • Leaving a child with a known sex offender
  • Providing alcohol or drugs to a child
  • Engaging in unreasonably harsh corporal punishment
  • Leaving a child alone around firearms
  • Not requiring a child to wear a seatbelt

What Should You Do if You Are Arrested for Child Endangerment?

Being arrested for child endangerment can be a parent’s worst nightmare. If you are like most people, your initial reaction will be to defend yourself and your parenting to the police that arrested you, explaining your actions and why you did what you did.

It’s critical to understand that defending yourself to the police is a useless endeavor, especially if you have already been arrested. When the police are investigating a possible or alleged crime, anything you say to them is very unlikely to help you but could very easily be used as evidence against you. For this reason, if you have been arrested or are being investigated for child endangerment or abandonment, you should retain an attorney as soon as possible.

An attorney will be able to defend your rights and ensure that you are treated fairly by the authorities. In some cases, the involvement of a lawyer may even prevent charges from being filed in the first place. If you are officially accused, an experienced attorney will be able to protect your rights and help minimize any consequences you are facing.

Contact a Frisco Child Endangerment Defense Lawyer Right Away

If you have been accused of child endangerment or any other criminal offense in Texas, you should contact an attorney as soon as you can. At the Law Office of Brent D. Bowen, PLLC, we understand how seriously a criminal conviction can impact your life and do everything possible to resolve your case as favorably as possible. To schedule a consultation with a criminal defense lawyer in Frisco, call 940-222-2488 or contact us online.