{"data":{"id":"us-wa/rcw-9a.42.080","jurisdiction":"us-wa","citation":"RCW 9A.42.080","heading":"Abandonment of a dependent person in the third 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 third 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 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 bodily harm; or\n(ii) Abandoning the child or other dependent person creates an imminent and substantial risk that the child or other person will suffer substantial 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 third degree is a gross misdemeanor.","path":["Title 9A","Chapter 9A.42"],"source_url":"https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=9A.42.080","current_through":"July 15, 2026","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-06T00:50:21Z","sha256":"a3f41441cb214863cf3e82e487019ace2cfdaa24fd6bce8c59adccce2ba3715c","source_id":"us-wa","stale":false,"prev":"us-wa/rcw-9a.42.070","next":"us-wa/rcw-9a.42.090"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}