Oklahoma § 21-851 Desertion of children under age of ten a felony.

Oklahoma Statutes

§ 21-851 — Desertion of children under age of ten a felony.

Oklahoma § 21-851

Title 21Crimes And Punishments

This text of Oklahoma § 21-851 (Desertion of children under age of ten a felony.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Okla. Stat. tit. 21, § 21-851 (2026).

Text

A.Any parent of any child or children under the age of ten (10) years, and every person to whom such child or children have been confided for nurture or education, who deserts such child or children within this state, or takes such child or children without this state, with the intent wholly to abandon it shall be deemed guilty of a Class B4 felony offense and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment in the State Penitentiary for any period of time not less than one (1) year nor more than ten (10) years.

B.It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution under this section that a parent voluntarily delivered a child under the age of thirty (30) days to and left the child with, or voluntarily arranged for another person to deliver a child to and leave the child with, a medic

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A. Any parent of any child or children under the age of ten (10) years, and every person to whom such child or children have been confided for nurture or education, who deserts such child or children within this state, or takes such child or children without this state, with the intent wholly to abandon it shall be deemed guilty of a Class B4 felony offense and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment in the State Penitentiary for any period of time not less than one (1) year nor more than ten (10) years. B. It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution under this section that a parent voluntarily delivered a child under the age of thirty (30) days to and left the child with, or voluntarily arranged for another person to deliver a child to and leave the child with, a medical services provider or child rescuer as provided in Section 1- 2-109 of Title 10A of the Oklahoma Statutes.

Legislative History

R.L. 1910, § 2433. Amended by Laws 1923, c. 78, p. 143, § 1, emerg. eff. March 28, 1923; Laws 1997, c. 133, § 250, eff. July 1, 1999; Laws 1999, 1st Ex.Sess., c. 5, § 154, eff. July 1, 1999; Laws 2021, c. 313, § 2, eff. July 1, 2021; Laws 2025, c. 486, § 104, eff. Jan. 1, 2026. NOTE: Laws 1998, 1st Ex.Sess., c. 2, § 23 amended the effective date of Laws 1997, c. 133, § 250 from July 1, 1998, to July 1, 1999.