What should you do if accused of touching a child?

Being accused of touching a child is the legal equivalent of being hit by a truck. Just by simply being accused your entire life is put at risk. This includes your family, your employment, your standing in the community and your freedom. Under South Carolina law the police aren’t required to have any other evidence, other than an accusation, prior to seeking an arrest warrant, for these types of offenses.

What should you do if you are accused?

1. Do not talk to anyone about the accusation.

The first rule for anyone who has been accused of touching a child is to not talk to anyone about the accusation. Anything you say can and may be used against you. The list of people you should talk to includes everyone, other than your attorney.

2. Don’t meet with the police or DSS.

In addition to not talking to anyone, you should not agree to voluntarily meet with the police or DSS worker about the situation. Anything you saw can and may be used against you. In addition, there may be a difference between what you say about the incident and what is later claimed you say.

3. Consult with an attorney as soon as possible.

Anyone accused of inappropriately touching a child should consult with an attorney as soon as possible. The Law Office of James R. Snell, Jr., LLC, is regularly involved in advising and representing individuals who have been accused of inappropriately touching children, or other forms of child abuse. There are steps and strategies that can be employed at the onset of any accusation that can help minimize the chance of an arrest or

4. What if you are completely innocent? Shouldn’t you then tell the police?

People who are guilty of touching children deny that they did it to the police. People who are innocent and falsely accused deny that they did it to the police. Your denial of the accusation has zero value to the police or the investigation. Anything you say, including even small talk, can later be used against you. Police officers may even hold it against you if you are too emotional, or not emotional enough about the accusations. They may try to interpret your body language as being evidence of guilt.

For example, we represented a man arrested for touching his step-daughter. The girl had accused him of touching her while watching TV together in a downstairs room. The man admitted to talking TV with her, but denied the touching. This was seen as a partial admission by police, and enough to justify an arrest.

There are strategies that can help avoid a false or unfair arrest, but simply having the accused meet with or talk to the police isn’t one of them.

Contact James Snell Today

If you’ve been accused of any form of inappropriately touching a child, or other serious crime, it’s important to seek experienced counsel as quickly as possible. Our office represents individuals facing accusations, police investigations, or criminal charges for child abuse in all South Carolina cities and counties. We can quickly assemble a professional team to get started on your case right away. Initial meetings with us are free and completely confidential.