Welcome back and thanks for joining us here at The Kronzek Firm for this discussion on what parents in Michigan can do if they discover their child has sexually assaulted another kid. We understand that this is an extremely difficult subject to discuss. You’re very likely experiencing a great deal of shame, anger, and bewilderment, and you’re not sure where to turn for help. We get it. This is a terrible time for you and your family. But you’re not alone, and you have options. Our attorneys have dealt with child-on-child sexual activities for decades. Whether you call it a sex assault, molestation, or kids being kids, it is clearly very troublesome.
As we mentioned in the previous article, your child needs help. The sooner you get them some kind of professional help so they can address and change these behaviors, the better. Also, and this is very important – you need to have a safety plan in place to make sure that this doesn’t keep happening. Making sure your child isn’t alone with any other children will be very important moving forward. But it’s also critical that you remember the fact that your child may be reported to the police. And that brings us to the first thing we’d like to talk about in this post:
Your child may be reported to the police or Children’s Protective Services (CPS)
Whether it’s the victim telling a teacher or friend who passes the info on to the cops, or the therapist you send your child to who believes that the victim is still in danger. It may even be the family of the victim who feels the incident needs to be reported to the police. You never know who may file the initial report, but you need to be prepared. Once the police have been told, they will open an investigation into the allegations. And once the cops are involved, everything changes.
Your child may be charged with a sex assault crime. In Michigan, that is usually called Criminal Sexual Conduct. Depending on the severity of the assault, and the age of your child, this could mean spending time in juvie, being placed on probation and being court-ordered to attend therapy, or even going to jail. Either way, you’re going to need legal representation, and you’re going to need it fast! Successful sex crime defense requires an attorney with experinece, compassion, and tenacity. Not just anyone will do. So, rule number one is to have your child LAWYER UP. There should be no discussion with the police, CPS, other kids, counselors, friends or relatives. Step one is to hire a sex crime attorney before any discussion takes place.
Your family needs support
This is going to be a tough time, and it’s not going to be over fast. These cases take a long time – it can sometimes mean years of investigations, court hearings, and eventually jail time if your child is convicted. Your family will probably be treated badly by some members of your community. Whether you live in Commerce, Ionia, Jackson, Lansing or Mount Pleasant, it’s the same everywhere -. you’ll probably lose friends. Even members of your own family may turn against you. Sex crimes tend to bring out the worst in people, and your child is probably going to be a social pariah once word gets around. So you’re going to need support.
Whether it’s therapy, a support group, a loyal best friend, or a pastor at your local church, make sure you have someone you can turn to when things get rough. Your child is going to suffer, and as a parent it’s going to break your heart. Plus, there are going to be a lot of people who will blame you for what happened, and you need a safe place to go where you can unload your frustrations and fears. If you have other children, they’re going to suffer socially as well. Make sure all of you have safe outlets for your pain during this time. However, do not repeat information that might be used against you or your child later on. LAWYER UP.
Get help from the right attorneys to fight these allegations!
Sometimes children do terrible things, for reasons that no one else can understand, and their parents are left wondering how and why it happened. It’s scary, confusing, and painful. And you may never understand what caused it, or what you could have done to prevent it. But there is something you can do now that will make all of this less scary and potentially less devastating, for both your child and yourself. You can call The Kronzek Firm at 866 766 5245.
Here at The Kronzek Firm, our skilled sex crime defense attorneys have spent decades defending both adults and children against sex crime allegations and charges. So if you live in Lansing, Brighton, Gratiot or Battle Creek, call 866 766 5245 today, and get the help your child needs. Our experienced trial team is available 24 / 7 for emergencies or crisis intervention, and you can reach us whenever you need legal help by calling our main office at 866 7No Jail. Don’t wait. Get help 24/7. Our team is available 24 / 7 for emergency consultations.