{"data":{"id":"us-wa/rcw-9a.42.070","jurisdiction":"us-wa","citation":"RCW 9A.42.070","heading":"Abandonment of a dependent person in the second degree—Exception.","body":"(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, a person is guilty of the crime of abandonment of a dependent person in the second degree if:\n(a) The person is the parent of a child, a person entrusted with the physical custody of a child or other dependent person, a person who has assumed the responsibility to provide to a dependent person the basic necessities of life, or a person employed to provide to the child or other dependent person any of the basic necessities of life; and\n(b) The person recklessly abandons the child or other dependent person; and:\n(i) As a result of being abandoned, the child or other dependent person suffers substantial bodily harm; or\n(ii) Abandoning the child or other dependent person creates an imminent and substantial risk that the child or other dependent person will die or suffer great bodily harm.\n(2) A parent of a newborn who transfers the newborn to a qualified person at an appropriate location pursuant to RCW 13.34.360 is not subject to criminal liability under this section.\n(3) Abandonment of a dependent person in the second degree is a class C felony.","path":["Title 9A","Chapter 9A.42"],"source_url":"https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=9A.42.070","current_through":"July 15, 2026","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-06T00:50:21Z","sha256":"4fb1f13b7ae3f9fc6ca9ecf9cff77e5697fa5cf75c40d779dd6305312a18e7a3","source_id":"us-wa","stale":false,"prev":"us-wa/rcw-9a.42.060","next":"us-wa/rcw-9a.42.080"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}