Shortridge v. Municipal Court

Opinion

SPARKS, J.

The question in this case is whether it is possible to commit the crime of being an accessory in violation of Penal Code section 32 when the principal is a minor. That question turns on whether a minor can commit a felony. We hold that, in the absence of some other statutory disability, all minors 14 years of age and older are capable of committing felonies as a matter of law. Consequently anyone who, with the requisite intent and knowledge, harbors, conceals or aids these youthful principals after the commission of a felony is guilty of being an accessory.

A complaint was…