Shelton v. State

Mar 23, 1917
8418
Reporters:
, ,
Before:
Luke
Luke, J.

A father who, within this State, wilfully and voluntarily abandons his child ‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‍before it is born, and persists in the abandonment after-wards, leaving it in a dependant condition, is guilty of a misdemeanor under section 116 of ‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‍the Penal Code of 1910, but a father is not guilty under that section unless the child has been born. Accordingly, no offense was set ‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‍out in an indictment charging the defendant with abandoning his minor child “not yet born;” and the court erred in overruling the demurrer thereto. Bull ‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‍v. State, 80 Ga. 704 (6 S. E. 178); Boyd v. State, 18 Ga. App. 623 (89 S. E. 1091).

Judgment reversed.

Wade, O. J., and George, J., concur. Indictment for .abandonment of child; from Bartow superior ‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‍court—Judge Tarver. January 10, 1917. M. B. Eubanks, for plaintiff in error. J. M. Lang, solicitor-general, contra.