We often talk about the tragedy of false allegations. We’ve posted numerous articles over the years about the difficulties that victims of false allegations will face, and what they can do about it. What we don’t often have the ability to share, however, is the other side of the coin – information about those people who make the false allegations of child abuse.
Unfortunately, in many cases, people are able to tell lies about other people to serve their own purposes, and those falsehoods go unpunished. However, every once in awhile there is justice for the person who was lied about, and the person who slandered them is required to pay the price, so to speak, for their misdeeds. This is one of those times.
A woman from Alpena has allegedly been arrested for filing false claims of child abuse against a man. Although the names of the people involved haven’t been released yet, the story is all too familiar.
According to the Michigan State Police, they were contacted with a case they believed led not to child abuse, but rather to someone who had intentionally falsified a child abuse report. MSP states that officers reached out to a local Child Protective Services worker in an effort to discover what had really happened.
The CPS worker in question had been assigned to follow up on an allegation of child abuse and neglect. The report had come from a woman, made the allegation against the father of the children who was allegedly being abused. As it turns out, the report was false, the children were fine.
The person who filed the report was discovered to have lied in order to hurt the children’s father.
MSP finished their investigation, and determined that the person who had filed the initial report was guilty of making an Intentional False Report of Child Abuse. Under Michigan law, this is a felony. The woman, whose name has still not been released, was arrested and is being held at the Alpena County Jail until she posts bail (assuming that she is granted bail.)
Michigan law is very clear about this matter. “A person who intentionally makes a false report of child abuse or neglect under this act knowing that the report is false is guilty of a crime as follows:
A) If the child abuse or neglect reported would not constitute a crime, or would constitute a misdemeanor if the report were true, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 93 days or a fine of not more than $100.00, or both.
B) If the child abuse or neglect reported would constitute a felony if the report were true, the person is guilty of a felony punishable by the lesser of the following:
- ) The penalty for the child abuse or neglect falsely reported.
- ) Imprisonment for not more than 4 years or a fine of not more than $2,000.00, or both
With that in mind, we would like to remind our readers that making a false report to police or CPS about any type of crime is illegal in Michigan. However, when it comes to child abuse, the matter is taken very seriously and can result in criminal charges. So if you have an issue with your spouse, your ex, or some other person who believe should not have access to your children, talk to an attorney about your problem. Never take the law into your own hands and lie to the police or CPS.
If however, you or a loved one have been lied about by someone who’s made false claims about you, or accused you of abusing a child, call The Kronzek Firm immediately at 866 766 5245. We understand how complicated and terrifying these types of cases can be, and how unhelpful CPS workers can sometimes be. So don’t wait and hope that it will blow over – it rarely does! Call us right now and talk to an experienced abuse and neglect defense attorney. We are here to help.