Which offense is a felony (Class B) when a person aged 16 or older subjects someone under 12 to sexual contact?

• A. Stalking (1st Degree)
• B. Domestic Violence (1st Degree)
• C. Sexual Torture
• D. Sexual Abuse of a Child

Answer: (D)

Sexual contact with a child under 12 by someone 16 or older is treated as sexual abuse of a child, a Class B felony. The law places very young children in a specially protected category and bans any sexual contact by an older person, regardless of consent. The offense captures the offender’s age and the child’s extreme vulnerability, signaling a mid-range but serious level of culpability.

Stalking, domestic violence, and what some call sexual torture don’t hinge on the same child-protection framework or the same sexual-contact with a minor scenario. Stalking centers on persistent threats or harassment, domestic violence on harm within a domestic relationship, and sexual torture involves more extreme coercion or injury beyond the basic act of sexual contact with a young child. The specific situation described directly fits the definition of sexual abuse of a child, which is why that is the correct choice.