Wyo. Stat. » Wyo. Stat. / Title 06 - Crimes and Offenses / Chapter 2 - OFFENSES AGAINST THE PERSON / Article 5 - ASSAULT AND BATTERY
Wyoming Statutes

Wyo. Stat. § 6-2-503 (2026)

Child abuse; penalty.

✓ current as of May 2026
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(a) A person who is not responsible for a child's welfare
as defined by W.S. 14-3-202(a)(i), is guilty of child abuse, a
felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than ten (10)
years, if:

          (i) The actor is an adult or is at least six (6)
years older than the victim; and

          (ii) The actor intentionally or recklessly inflicts
upon a child under the age of sixteen (16) years:

               (A) Physical injury as defined in W.S.
14-3-202(a)(ii)(B);

               (B) Mental injury as defined in W.S.
14-3-202(a)(ii)(A); or

                (C)   Torture or cruel confinement.

     (b) A person is guilty of child abuse, a felony punishable
by imprisonment for not more than ten (10) years, if a person
responsible for a child's welfare as defined in W.S.
14-3-202(a)(i) intentionally or recklessly inflicts upon a child
under the age of eighteen (18) years:

          (i) Physical injury as defined in W.S.
14-3-202(a)(ii)(B), excluding reasonable corporal punishment;

          (ii) Mental injury as defined in W.S.
14-3-202(a)(ii)(A); or
           (iii)   Torture or cruel confinement.

     (c) Aggravated child abuse is a felony punishable by
imprisonment for not more than twenty-five (25) years if in the
course of committing the crime of child abuse, as defined in
subsection (a) or (b) of this section, the person intentionally
or recklessly inflicts serious bodily injury upon the victim or
the person intentionally inflicts substantial mental or
emotional injury upon the victim by the torture or cruel
confinement of the victim.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 42 cases (10 in the last 5 years), 1983–2025 · leading case: Johnson v. State, 2003 WY 9 (Wyo. 2003).
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Johnson v. State, 2003 WY 9 (Wyo. 2003). · cites it 16× “In addition, Johnson was charged with two counts of inflicting injury on a child in violation of Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-503 (Michie 1988 and Supp.”
Foltz v. State, 407 P.3d 398 (Wyo. 2017). · cites it 10× “Foltz killed BB during the perpetration of child abuse, the State was necessarily required to prove each element of child abuse found in Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-503 (a) (Lexis-Nexis 2017).”
Larkins v. State, 429 P.3d 28 (Wyo. 2018). · cites it 6× “Under Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-503 (b)(i) (LexisNexis 2017), a person responsible for a child's welfare is guilty of child abuse if they intentionally or recklessly inflict physical injury on that child.”
Yellowbear v. State, 2008 WY 4 (Wyo. 2008). · cites it 7× “The State indicated that it needed to allege in the alternative both Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-503 (a) and Wyo. Stat.”
Kamie Lynn Hultberg v. The State of Wyoming, 2024 WY 59 (Wyo. 2024). · cites it 11× “Physical injury is defined as: “any harm to a child including but not limited to disfigurement, impairment of any bodily organ, skin bruising if greater in magnitude than minor bruising associated with reasonable corporal punishment, bleeding, burns, fracture of any bone,…”
Jesse James Hartley v. The State of Wyoming, 2020 WY 40 (Wyo. 2020). · cites it 5× “§§ 6-2-101 (a) & (b) and 6-2-503(a)(ii)(A) & (c) (LexisNexis 2019), aggravated child abuse pursuant to Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-503 (a)(ii)(A) & (c), and first-degree sexual abuse of a minor pursuant to Wyo.”
Keser v. State, 706 P.2d 263 (Wyo. 1985). · cites it 7× “Appellant raises a single issue: “Whether Section 6-2-503 W.S. 1977, June 1983 Replacement, as written by the legislature, violates the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.”
Rowe v. State, 974 P.2d 937 (Wyo. 1999). · cites it 13× “Whether the district court properly instructed the jury with respect to the charge of child abuse? On June 11, 1997, Rowe was convicted of one count of felony child abuse in violation of Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-503 (Michie 1997). 1 The charge against Rowe was presented because of…”
Smallwood v. State, 771 P.2d 798 (Wyo. 1989). · cites it 10× “On remand and following certain procedural activities, which we will describe in more detail below, the accused again entered a guilty plea to felony child abuse under W.S. 6-2-503 (June 1983 Repl.). The district court judge, who had sentenced him the first time to a term in the…”
James Vincent Andersen, 2014 WY 88 (Wyo. 2014). · cites it 8× “Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-503 (b)(i) (LexisNexis 2013) (emphasis added).”
Sanderson v. State, 2007 WY 127 (Wyo. 2007). · cites it 4× “§ 14-3-105 (a) 1 and two counts of felony child abuse in violation of Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-503 (b). 2 The indecent liberties charges were based on the bathroom incident and the bedroom incident.”
Campbell v. State, 999 P.2d 649 (Wyo. 2000). · cites it 4× “In Keser , a vagueness challenge was made to the terms "physical injury" and "mental trauma" in the child abuse statute, Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-503 . In rejecting that challenge, we recognized that child protection statutes tend to be general in their terms: "The relationship…”
Show all 42 citing cases →
— Wyo. Stat. § 6-2-503(a) — 4 cases
Foltz v. State, 407 P.3d 398 (Wyo. 2017). “Foltz killed BB during the perpetration of child abuse, the State was necessarily required to prove each element of child abuse found in Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-503 (a) (Lexis-Nexis 2017).”
Smallwood v. State, 771 P.2d 798 (Wyo. 1989). “On remand and following certain procedural activities, which we will describe in more detail below, the accused again entered a guilty plea to felony child abuse under W.S. 6-2-503 (June 1983 Repl.). The district court judge, who had sentenced him the first time to a term in the…”
Smallwood v. State, 748 P.2d 1141 (Wyo. 1988).
Cambio v. State, 800 P.2d 482 (Wyo. 1990).
— Wyo. Stat. § 6-2-503(a)(i) — 1 case
DeWitt v. State, 917 P.2d 1144 (Wyo. 1996).
— Wyo. Stat. § 6-2-503(a)(ii) — 2 cases
Longfellow v. State, 803 P.2d 848 (Wyo. 1990).
Rowe v. State, 974 P.2d 937 (Wyo. 1999). “Whether the district court properly instructed the jury with respect to the charge of child abuse? On June 11, 1997, Rowe was convicted of one count of felony child abuse in violation of Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-503 (Michie 1997). 1 The charge against Rowe was presented because of…”
— Wyo. Stat. § 6-2-503(a)(ii)(A) — 2 cases
Ross v. State, 930 P.2d 965 (Wyo. 1996).
DeWitt v. State, 917 P.2d 1144 (Wyo. 1996).
— Wyo. Stat. § 6-2-503(b) — 6 cases
Foltz v. State, 407 P.3d 398 (Wyo. 2017). “Foltz killed BB during the perpetration of child abuse, the State was necessarily required to prove each element of child abuse found in Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-503 (a) (Lexis-Nexis 2017).”
Yellowbear v. State, 2008 WY 4 (Wyo. 2008). “The State indicated that it needed to allege in the alternative both Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-503 (a) and Wyo. Stat.”
James Vincent Andersen, 2014 WY 88 (Wyo. 2014). “Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-503 (b)(i) (LexisNexis 2013) (emphasis added).”
Scott v. State, 2012 WY 86 (Wyo. 2012).
Carolyn Aune v. The State of Wyoming, 2024 WY 137 (Wyo. 2024).
— Wyo. Stat. § 6-2-503(b)(i) — 4 cases
Kamie Lynn Hultberg v. The State of Wyoming, 2024 WY 59 (Wyo. 2024). “Physical injury is defined as: “any harm to a child including but not limited to disfigurement, impairment of any bodily organ, skin bruising if greater in magnitude than minor bruising associated with reasonable corporal punishment, bleeding, burns, fracture of any bone,…”
James Vincent Andersen, 2014 WY 88 (Wyo. 2014). “Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-503 (b)(i) (LexisNexis 2013) (emphasis added).”
Carolyn Aune v. The State of Wyoming, 2024 WY 137 (Wyo. 2024).
Cheri Lynn Marler v. The State of Wyoming, 2025 WY 115 (Wyo. 2025).
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