Sex crimes in NC – Criminal charges come with a wide variety of levels of punishment and consequences. In North Carolina, some of the most serious offenses are sex offenses. Whether it be a misdemeanor or a felony, if you have been charged with a sex crime, there are a lot of things to consider.
In this blog, we will discuss a few of the sex crimes in North Carolina. Like all our blogs, this blog is intended for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice and counsel of a criminal defense attorney.
Consequences of sex crime convictions
Depending on the crime, a sex crime can be a misdemeanor, which follows the North Carolina misdemeanor sentencing guidelines, or a felony, which follows the North Carolina felony sentencing guidelines.
Besides incarceration, the person charged has to worry about some serious collateral consequences, including reporting requirements of the sex offender registry.
Below just a few examples of some sex crimes in North Carolina.
Incident liberties
Indecent liberties with a minor is the inappropriate sexual contact with a person under the age of 16 when the person doing the touching is over the age of 19. When people envision child molestation, this is the North Carolina crime typically applies to those circumstances.
Forcible Rape/Forcible Sex Offense
Rape is always a felony. First degree rape is punished as a Class B1 felony, and Second-degree rape is punished as a Class B2 felony. These are both extremely serious charges that come with mandatory prison time, and sex offender registration.
Statutory Rape/Statutory sex offense
Statutory rape occurs when an adult has sex with a child under the age of 16. In general, it is “consensual” sexually activity with someone 15 years of age or younger, when the defendant is 19 or older. An 18-year-old could be charged with statutory rape if the victim is 14 or younger. This is a serious charged that comes with mandatory prison time and sex offender registration.
Sexual exploitation of a minor
Sexual exploitation of a minor is the North Carolina crime that most appropriately applies when someone thinks about crimes related to the possession, production, and transmission of child pornography. This is a serious crime that can result in prison time and will result in sex offender registration if someone is convicted of it.
Sexual battery
Sexual battery is a misdemeanor that involves the sexual touching of another for the purpose of sexual gratification by force or without consent. This is a class A1 misdemeanor which is the highest level of misdemeanor in North Carolina. Conviction of this crime requires sex offender registration.
Sex crimes are extremely serious. If you are charged with a sex crime, you should do everything that you can to defend yourself. If you have been charged with a sex crime, contact us. At Gilles Law, we handle sex crimes in North Carolina and South Carolina.
