Jersey City Mother Charged with Neglect
The state Division of Health and Human Services took six children into custody after their mother allegedly left her 14-year-old autistic daughter in charge of the other children. According to a news report in The Jersey Journal, two teenagers stepped in to look after the children after they were found playing in the road unsupervised in Jersey City. The authorities then took the children and issued an arrest warrant for the mother.
New Jersey Statute 9:6-1 covers abuse, abandonment, cruelty, and neglect of a child. It is an act of abandonment to willfully forsake a child. Neglect is when “anyone having the custody or control of the child willfully fails to provide proper and sufficient food, clothing, maintenance, regular school education as required by law, medical attendance or surgical treatment, and a clean and proper home.”
There are criminal penalties for child endangerment, neglect, and abandonment, but perhaps the most devastating possible outcome is having a child taken away from you. These types of charges can result from a misunderstanding or, for example, as a result of a well-meaning citizen calling the authorities without knowledge of the parent's intentions.
If you are facing any type of criminal charges in New Jersey, the criminal defense attorneys in New Jersey at Lependorf & Silverstein can help you. We will aggressively fight for your rights and work diligently to obtain the best possible outcome in your case. Call us today at 609-240-0040 to discuss your case at absolutely no cost.
