First, take a deep breath. This must be terrifying for you, and we know how frightened and helpless you must feel. But you need to remember that you’re not alone in this. There are people in your support circle who’ve got your back, and if you decide to hire us to fight for you, you’re going to have one of the best recognized and most aggressive legal teams available in Michigan, on your side. We’ll get through this together.
Being accused of molesting a child can be very confusing!
It may sound strange to say that this kind of accusation is confusing, but it really can be. Why? Because the word “molestation” means a lot of different things to different people, so depending on who you’re talking to, it can mean anything from touching a child in an inappropriate way, all the way across the spectrum to sex with someone who is under age. And that’s just people’s perceptions. When you look at the issue of child molestation from a legal standpoint in Michigan, it can be even more confusing.
What does Michigan law have to say about child molestation?
Technically, nothing. And no, we don’t mean that the law doesn’t address this issue, we simply mean that in Michigan, we don’t use the term “child molestation” at all in any way. Here in Michigan we use the terms ‘criminal sexual conduct’ to describe all kinds of illegal sexual activity. This includes everything from rape (which is another word we don’t use in our legal system) to illicit touching of a victim who is completely dressed.
What you’re charged with, depends on what they think you did!
The kind of charges you’re looking at depends on what you’re accused of doing. In Michigan, our legal system differentiates between all sexual crimes by dividing criminal sexual conduct into four categories that we call degrees. First and Third Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct refer to the victim being penetrated, while, Second and Fourth Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct involve sexual contact of some kind with the victim, but don’t include penetration of any kind.
What if you’re accused of touching, but not having sex?
If the alleged victim claims you touched them in a sexual way, or made intentional contact with their private parts (which can mean a child’s genitals, their buttocks, or their nipples), you’re probably up against Second or Fourth Degree CSC. But what’s the difference? Well, Fourth Degree CSC refers to basic seuxal touching of a child. As soon as their are “aggravating circumstances” involved, like the victim being a family member or a student, or being mentally incapacitated, the charge rises to Second Degree CSC.
Being accused of molesting a child is a very huge deal!
If you’ve been accused of molesting a child, don’t blow this off because it’s not true or assume that you don’t need to worry because “the truth will out.” That’s a lovely fantasy, but the truth can be explained to you by the countless innocent people behind bars in Michigan. Wrongful convictions are all too real, and if you don’t take this seriously, or hire an inexperienced attorney, you could be joining them! Call The Kronzek Firm today at 866 766 5245 (1 866 7No Jail) and talk to one of our highly skilled and very experienced sex crime defense attorneys.