Legal Definitions - desert

Desert means to intentionally abandon a person or thing. This can happen in different situations:

• In the context of marriage and child support, desert usually means a willful failure to provide food or other basic necessities of life to parties living in the same household.
• In the context of child endangerment laws, desert usually requires a showing that the defendant had no intention to return for the child.

For example, if a parent stops providing food or other basic necessities to their child, they may be accused of desertion. Similarly, if someone leaves a child alone in a dangerous situation without intending to come back, they may be charged with desertion.