Actually, it is a crime. And a teacher or principle or therapist would be held to the same standard, pretty much anyone but a confessor or a lawyer. I’m a Catholic and live in KC but I think I would have voted to indict. It’s not heinous but did show poor judgment.
If someone fails to report knowledge of a murder in Missouri is it a crime?
If it is, then it is a bad law. Why would anyone report a murder if there is a chance that he could be charged with a crime? I’ve seen many tv shows where witnesses came forward YEARS later and reported what they saw. And none of them usually faced charges-—the cops were grateful that they could then solve the crime.
Now if it is NOT the law then one could argue that they are cherrypicking crimes to prosecute. Murder is worse than abuse and the laws should reflect that.
And one more thing: I thought it was the job of law enforcement to catch criminals, not ordinary citizens.