Fishers Child Solicitation Attorney
It doesn’t take long for online discussions to go off the rails. Talking to someone you meet online, flirting with them, or making jokes with them might quickly lead to a criminal investigation. Should you require a Fishers child solicitation lawyer, it’s possible that you were charged with a felony based on online conversations, sting operations, or what many call sexting stings. A conviction could have serious effects.
About The Criminal Defense Team of Baldwin Perry & Wiley P.C.
The Criminal Defense Team of Baldwin Perry & Wiley P.C. is a law practice in Indiana that helps people in Fishers, Indiana, and all of Hamilton County with their criminal defense cases. The Hamilton County Courts at 1 Hamilton County Square, Noblesville, IN 46060, handle many felony cases.
We have assembled a team of lawyers and the tools they need to handle complex felony cases. A team of at least two lawyers and a paralegal is appointed to each large case. Each of our lawyers spends time looking over chat logs, police records, and digital forensic data. Also, our lawyers have worked as prosecutors in big felony cases and homicide investigations. We know how the state puts up its case against you.
Our Defense Approach
There are only six Board-Certified* Criminal Trial Specialists in Indiana, and five of them work at one firm. To be clear, not all of our lawyers are Board-Certified.* Only five of them are. Clients can expect quick answers and access to an attorney through our 24/7 lawyers-on-call rotation. A team of lawyers and paralegals reviews every chat session, police report, and piece of evidence for each large case.
Our lawyers have worked as prosecutors in serious felony cases and large crime investigations. We are aware of the laws regarding child solicitation. More significantly, when your rights are abused, we know how to hold the government responsible.
Understanding Indiana’s Child Solicitation Laws
Indiana Code Section 35-42-4-6 governs child solicitation in Indiana. In short, it is against the law for anyone over the age of 18 to knowingly or purposefully ask someone under the age of 14 or someone that the accused thinks to be under the age of 14 to have intercourse with the child or another person.
The law makes it a crime to ask or encourage someone who is underage to have sex. There doesn’t have to be any physical contact. If the prosecution says you asked for or made plans for a sexual encounter with someone you thought was underage, you could be charged with a crime.
Sexting Stings and Secret Operations
More and more, police are using social media sites, chat rooms, and messaging apps to set up sting operations.
Officers can pretend to be kids under 18 and talk to people online. At first, the talk might not be sexual, but it could turn sexual over time. If the person you don’t know asks to meet or starts sending sexually explicit texts, the authorities may step in and charge them. Some things that are common in these stings are:
- Saved copies of online chats
- Screenshots of chats in messages
- Phone call recordings
- Meetings monitored by law enforcement
These instances can bring up major legal questions about purpose, entrapment, and whether the accused really thought they were talking to a child because government enforcement organized them so carefully.
What Prosecutors Have to Show
To prove you solicited a minor, the prosecutor must show that you were at least 18 years old and knowingly or willfully asked someone you knew or thought was under 14 to have sex with you.
Intent is a very important part of many circumstances. It might be hard to follow conversations online. It’s crucial to know the context. Tone, sarcasm, or misunderstanding can influence how someone sees a message. The defense could argue that there was no real intention to commit a crime in some situations.
Police methods are also important during these sting operations. Police can’t just pretend to be underage kids online and ask someone to break the law. Entrapment defenses are used when the police break your constitutional rights. If the police encourage someone to breach a law they wouldn’t have otherwise broken, the case could be thrown out.
Penalties for a Child Solicitation Charge
Researchers found the following in a countrywide poll of young adults aged 18 to 28 who remembered being sexually exploited online and through technological advances as children:
- 15.6% of people have been sexually abused as children online at some point before they turned 18.
- 7.2% said they had sent pornographic pictures they had taken themselves
- 7.2% had sexting that wasn’t consensual.
- 5.4% said that adults had groomed them online.
- 3.5% went through sextortion
Possible punishments include jail time, supervised release, and being registered as a sex offender. When you register, you agree to live, work, and even use the internet in certain ways for the rest of your life. If you are convicted of a felony, you might lose your job right away, have your professional license taken away, and have your reputation permanently damaged.
Hire a Child Solicitation Lawyer
You wouldn’t just hire any doctor for your health problems; you would hire a specialist. The same goes for your legal problems. Don’t wait to talk to a lawyer if you are being investigated or have been charged with soliciting a child. Before any charges are filed, the police will likely want to talk to you or continue gathering evidence against you.
Employing a Fishers child solicitation attorney who protects clients from internet stings will give you the advantage of a well-planned and calculated defense. There are at least two lawyers and one paralegal on The Criminal Defense Team who work together on every major felony. Because of our team model, we review the conversation logs, search warrants, and any forensic tests twice.
Contact The Criminal Defense Team Today
In Indiana, there are six total criminal trial lawyers who are Board-Certified.* The Criminal Defense Team is where five of them work. When you are up against prosecutions based on technological evidence and aggressive tactics, being ready at the trial level can make a big difference. Contact The Criminal Defense Team today to set up a meeting.
*Andrew Baldwin, Kathie Perry, Maxwell Wiley, Kelly Pyle, and Michael C. Cunningham are Board-Certified* Criminal Trial Specialists, as certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Find out why having a Board-Certified* Criminal Trial Specialist as your defense lawyer is important here.