Q: Law states if you know a felony has been committed you must report. What if its all third party info?
For example, if someone tells me that someone else told them that they committed an offense, does that constitute me “knowing” and having to report even though I cannot confirm that it happened, and the person telling me did not witness it either? It would seem more wise to inly report if you have first hand knowledge to avoid defamation. I don’t feel comfortable claiming to “know” someone committed a crime based on rabbit hole information.
A: Hello. You do not have to report third party information of a potential crime, especially when you don’t even know if that third party information is correct. Reporting a crime that you have knowledge of is usually first hand knowledge unless you have reason to believe that the other party giving you the information is credible and reliable. In that case, if you believed that person then, if reported, the law enforcement officer would most likely want to speak to the individual that gave you the information. The only obligation you have is to report crimes you have personal knowledge of and those crimes are serious felony crimes. ORC 2921.22 indicates that you must KNOW a felony is being or has been committed and you knowingly that it is being committed, fail to report to law enforcement in order for it to be a potential crime.
Justia Ask A Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask A Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between Justia and you, or between any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions and you, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask A Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.