Tag Archives: SEXUAL CRIMES

Can corrupting the morals of a child and unlawful restraint be misdemeanors?

Q: My son picked up a minor. The story goes he coerced the child into doing something but I am not sure what at this point. Is this a misdemeanor or felony? (Upper St. Clair, PA)

A: If the alleged victim is under 18 and the accused over 18, Unlawful Restraint can be charged as a felony. Corruption of Minors can be charged as a felony if the alleged corruption is sexual in nature. I highly advise your son to not make any statements to police and to get him an experienced criminal defense attorney immediately. The potential stakes are high. He could be facing jail and be subjected to 10 or more years of Megan’s Law conditions.

What should I do?

Q: I met a girl on a dating service called tagged then one night out of the blue she contacted me so we texted for a few days and then one particular night she started getting all raunchy talking about sex we ended up sexting then I got a call from her suppose it parents saying that she was a minor and they were going to go to the police supposedly she was making a sex video for me on her mother’s laptop now the guy wants me to buy them a new laptop for $1,700 or he will go to the police she was sending me pictures of her privates and I sent her pictures of mine I know it was a bad mistake I’m not trying to have my life ruined over this and Lord knows it will never happen again now I’m worried and don’t know what to do. (Baldwin Borough, PA)

A: Sounds like they are scammers. If they were legitimate, you would be hearing from the police or the Attorney General and the father wouldn’t be implicating himself in bribery to cover up child exploitation.

Is it legal for a 17-year-old to have sex with a 14-year-old?

Q: A co-worker of mine just found out her daughter that is really 12 (but told the boy she was either 13 or 14) is now pregnant. He is 17 and said that she kept perusing him and eventually they had sex. She wants to have the baby and her mom, the nurse at the PCP office, and several other people tried to change her mind. What can her mom do if anything probably without the daughter’s help or permission? She has already been told that if her daughter wants to have the baby there is nothing she can do which means she is now going to be raising another child cause her daughter is still a minor and not responsible. Please give us some advice cause the mother wants to try to press charges or even a PF but don’t know what she can do.

A:  Yes, what you describe sounds like Statutory Sexual Assault since the victim is under 16 and the defendant is 4 or more years older than she. This is a serious matter and yes, the mother can commence criminal charges with the police. Before the mother launches that ship, she should speak with the daughter and perhaps seek counseling for the daughter. Involving the criminal justice system will have a profound impact on the daughter.