Contributing To The Delinquency Of Minors
When determining the consequences of illegal actions by minors, the law considers whether the negligence, or even the intentional actions, of adults may have enabled or even caused the minors to break the law. Consider that, no matter your age, duress is a valid defense if someone coerced you into an illegal activity such as breaking into someone’s car or transporting drugs. Context is everything. If a minor commits a robbery, he or she might be adjudicated delinquent in juvenile court, but if a group of people conspire to commit a robbery, and some of them are adults and some are minors, the court will assume that it was the older defendants who persuaded the younger ones to participate in the crime and not the other way around. As for sexual offenses, sexual acts between an adult and a minor are illegal, except in “Romeo and Juliet” situations where both partners in their late teens but one of them has recently reached the age of legal majority. If you are facing criminal charges for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, contact a Pittsburgh white collar crime lawyer.
Teens Should Not Be Afraid to Speak Up About the Adults Who Brought Them Into Illegal Situations
You have the right not to answer questions from the police. You can face criminal consequences for refusing to tell an officer your name, but beyond that, you do not have to say anything. You should invoke your Fifth Amendment right to remain silent. After meeting with a lawyer, you may decide that you want to tell your side of the story. Sometimes, even if you are a teenager and the person accusing you of a crime is decades older than you, telling the police the truth is all it takes to clear your name.
In the News
Rochelle Stewart of Allegheny County is facing criminal charges for indecent assault and contributing to the delinquency of minors. In January 2025, after a snowstorm, two 13-year-old boys knocked on her door and offered to shovel the snow from her driveway and walkway for payment. She agreed and offered to pay them $5. After they finished the work, she invited them inside and gave them hot chocolate, but after they drank it, she offered them alcohol. According to one of the boys, she refilled their cups with vodka more times than they could count, and they got so drunk that one of them vomited. She draped her legs across the lap of one of the boys and attempted to touch his genitals. The boys fled, but they later returned to retrieve their coats. Stewart, 64, refused to open the door; instead, she called the police and said the boys were trying to break in. When the police arrived, the boys told them the truth, and the police arrested Stewart.
Contact Gary E. Gerson About Criminal Defense Cases
A criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are facing criminal charges for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Contact the law offices of Gary E. Gerson in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania about your case.
Source:
usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/01/17/boys-shoveling-snow-pittsburgh-woman-arrested/77778988007/
