565.115. Child kidnapping — penalty.
Taking a child under 14 without a parent’s permission is a serious crime.
This law makes it a crime to take or keep a young child without their parent or guardian’s permission, unless it’s to protect the child from danger.
1. A person commits child kidnapping if:
- They are not related to the child within the third degree (like a parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt/uncle, or first cousin), and
- They knowingly take or keep a child under 14 years old without permission from the child’s parent or guardian.
2. It is a legal defense if the person reasonably believed they had to act to protect the child from harm.
3. Child kidnapping is a class A felony.
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