Contacting a Minor to Commit a Felony

The law is designed in part to protect young people from harm. With this in mind, individuals who contact a minor to commit a felony can find themselves facing serious charges. Contacting a minor to commit a felony is a companion crime, usually paired with some underlying felony. It covers the act of making contact with a minor, even if you do not actually commit the felony that you plan to commit. The law was designed, at least in part, to allow police officers to catch people in the act. People who’ve been charged with this crime need a good defense if they are going to avoid serious jail time.

The fundamentals of the offense

Contacting a minor to commit a felony is a crime that requires a person to get in touch with a minor for the purpose of committing a host of qualifying felonies. The qualifying underlying felonies include rape, kidnapping, lewd acts, and a host of sexual offenses. Sending pornography is also a qualifying underlying felony. While one can be charged with any of these underlying felonies in addition to contacting a minor, the act of making contact is actually its own charge.

There is one critical element that must be present for the state to successfully prosecute this crime. In addition to simply making contact with a minor, one must know that the person on the other end of the line is a minor. This helps to protect individuals in those situations when they might be lied to. However, there is an element of the law that allows prosecution when a potential defendant should have known that the victim in question was a minor. Even if the victim lies about his or her age or says nothing at all, the potential defendant will be charged if it’s clear that he should have known the victim was a minor.