Criminal Laws Differ From Mandated Reporter Laws

A Colorado appeals court vacated a defendant's conviction for attempting to entice a child into his vehicle for purposes of sexual assault. The defendant also claimed that there was no evidence that he actually was the person who committed the acts in question. For purposes of analysis, the court assumed that the identification was accurate. The defendant allegedly stopped his truck next to a ten-year-old girl who was walking her dog in her neighborhood. He complimented her on her dog, and then asked her age and address. When she replied, "Ten," he responded that ten was "the perfect age for a boyfriend." He then asked her if she "had ever touched it." When the girl walked away, the suspect drove away at a normal speed.