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The internet is a remarkable tool that makes our everyday lives better. But with the ability to communicate with anyone in the world at any time comes a whole host of problems that did not exist in decades past. Child luring is one such problem.

What Is Child Luring?

Luring a minor happens when an adult who is aged 18 or older encourages a child (or someone they believe is a child) to leave the safety of their home and meet up with the adult. For purposes of this offense, a child is anyone under the age of 18. 

An adult can use various methods to entice a child. They typically begin by striking up a relationship online. The adult works to establish a close relationship and slowly chips away at the child’s defenses and common sense.

Eventually, they attempt to arouse sexual desire by sending the child sexually-oriented videos or photos. The ultimate goal of these seductions is to meet with the child and have some sort of sexual encounter. 

California Penal Code Sections 288.2, 288.3, and 288.4 all prohibit these types of actions. And the charge of luring a minor applies whether there was actual contact between the adult and child or not. The act of seduction or sending sexually charged material to a child is a crime in itself. 

Defenses

We have seen it all, and we understand that these types of scenarios can ensnare innocent people. Charges of this nature can have a profoundly negative impact on the rest of your life.

So, if you must defend yourself against the charge of luring a minor, you need a strong, experienced defense attorney at your side. The attorney can look at the facts and determine a defense strategy that gives you the best possible chance of exoneration.

Each case is different, so each defense will be specific to the facts of your case. However, generally speaking, there are three defenses to these charges.

If you are a parent or guardian of the child and you gave them the materials in a legitimate attempt to provide the child with sex education, then you will likely not be found guilty of this offense.

Even if you are not the parent or guardian of the child, if you are engaged in legitimate sex education or scientific research, then you will likely not be found guilty of child luring.

If you did not send the offensive material at all, then you may also have a defense. However, if the material can be traced to an account that you own, you may have an uphill battle proving that it was not you who actually sent the materials.

Let Our Lawyers Help

The lawyers at The Law Offices of Kerry L. Armstrong, APLC, care about helping get your life back to normal. We are not afraid of the tough cases, and we never back down from fighting for your rights all the way through trial, if necessary. So, call us today or contact us online for your free initial consultation.

Author Photo

Kerry L. Armstrong

 

Attorney Kerry Armstrong opened up his law firm in June 2007. Mr. Armstrong attended Thomas Jefferson School of Law, San Diego, California, and received his B.S. from Middle Tennessee State University. Kerry L. Armstrong became certified by the State Bar of California’s Board of Legal Specialization for criminal law in August 2020, making him one of the few criminal defense attorneys with a criminal law legal specialization certificate in San Diego County.  Between 2014 – 2019, Mr. Armstrong was selected for inclusion in the California Super Lawyers list, an honor only awarded to 5% of the nation’s attorneys.

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