Class A  Penal Code 25.06

A person commits an offense if he knowingly harbors a child and he is criminally negligent about whether the child:

(1) is younger than 18 years; and 

(2) …or is voluntarily absent from the child’s home without the consent of the child’s parent or guardian for a substantial length of time or without the intent to return.

  (b) It is a defense to prosecution that the actor was related to the child within the second degree by consanguinity [by blood] or affinity.

  (c) It is a defense to prosecution that the actor notified a law enforcement agency or a person at the child’s home of the presence of the child within 24 hours after discovering that the child was voluntarily absent from home without the consent of the child’s parent or guardian. An offense is a Class A misdemeanor.


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* Nowadays, there are extremely independent children who runaway from home and decide to crash at a friend’s house. The friend’s home is usually run by a permissive parent or by the child who tells his parent what to do. As an administrator, you need to listen to your teachers when they tell you what is going on in some children’s homes.  How would you react if you knew where a child was hiding and later you discover that with a phone call you could have prevented a rape or murder. This information is also useful in punishing those few parents who constantly make your life miserable with their bad children. Imagine your pleasure when these horrible parents get dragged into court and have to pay a probation officer and lawyer money they cannot afford to spend to fight a criminal charge. Their criminal charge will also prevent them from volunteering in your schools.