Opinion ID: 1164429
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: the parental exemption to the kidnapping statute

Text: Crump moved in the trial court for an acquittal because of the parental exemption [8] contained in the kidnapping statute. The court denied this motion for acquittal. The essence of the argument is that the parental exemption was meant to extend beyond the parents to include the parents' agents who aid in a kidnapping. Crump further argues that because no one could be guilty of the substantive crime of kidnapping as a result of this immunity, no one could be guilty of conspiracy to kidnap either. The answer to this contention is subsumed in the determination of whether the immunity extends to the parents' agents. In discussing the exemption from prosecution of a parent's agents, Crump does not cite any cases where a court has denied a parent either permanent or temporary custody of a child. In fact, it is well settled that ... one assisting [a] parent commits the crime of kidnapping by taking a child from another to whom its custody has been awarded by a decree of court. Annot., 77 A.L.R. 317, 320 (1932). He relies, however, on a line of cases that conclude that, in the absence of a custody order giving custody to one parent, a parent who takes the child away from another parent or guardian is not guilty of kidnapping. Several of these cases have concluded that persons who assist the parent in taking the child are also entitled to the parent's exemption, see People v. Nelson, 322 Mich. 262, 33 N.W.2d 786 (1948); State v. Edmiston, 43 Or. App. 13, 602 P.2d 282 (1979); Annot., 77 A.L.R. 317 (1932), although the authorities are split on this issue. Courts in California and Missouri have held that a parent's agents are guilty of kidnapping. Wilborn v. Superior Court, 51 Cal.2d 828, 337 P.2d 65, 66 (1959); State v. Brandenburg, 232 Mo. 531, 134 S.W. 529 (1911). [9] The reason some courts allow an agent of a parent who is entitled to custody to share in the parent's exemption from prosecution under a kidnapping statute is explained in State v. Edmiston, 43 Or. App. 13, 602 P.2d 282, 283-84 (1979): Generally, both the mother and father are `parents' and are equally entitled to custody of the child. ORS 109.030. It follows that the father in this case is a lawful custodian unless and until his legal relationship to the child is altered by a court order or some provision of law. He had the power to authorize the defendant to assist him in obtaining custody. Any other construction of the statute would not `give fair warning of the nature of the conduct declared to constitute' the offense of kidnapping. [footnote omitted] This reasoning is obviously inapplicable to Crump's appeal. J.L. had no authority to take S.L. The superior court had temporarily terminated her rights to custody. She could not authorize Crump to take S.L. when she herself was not authorized to do so. [10] Crump plainly had fair warning as he was well aware of the fact that the court order temporarily gave the state custody. [11] The reasoning of the California Supreme Court in Wilborn, which declined to extend a parent's exemption from kidnapping to a parent's helpers, seems particularly apposite here: To hold [that an agent is immune] would result in untold confusion and provoke many possible breaches of the peace in that the parent having possession of the child would be at the mercy of persons acting as alleged agents of the other parent and claiming immunity from prosecution under the statute because of the personal right of their principal. Such consequences would not promote the interests of the parents, the child or the public welfare. Wilborn v. Superior Court, 51 Cal.2d 828, 337 P.2d 65, 66 (1959) (citation omitted). J.L.'s immunity under the kidnapping statute was personal to her. We hold that where a person, while acting as an agent for a parent not entitled to custody, takes a child from one entitled to custody, the person can be convicted of both the substantive crime of kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap.