An affiant swears to a complaint after having reason to believe the offense occurred.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. A Person Who Has Reason To Believe That A Person Committed An Offense And Swears To A Complaint
• D. A Judge Or Prosecutor

Answer: (C)

In criminal procedure, the person who signs a sworn complaint is the affiant. The essential idea is that the affiant must have some basis to believe the offense occurred and must swear to the facts under oath. The statement describes exactly that role: a person who has reason to believe a specific offense occurred and who swears to the complaint. That’s what defines who can be the affiant in this context.

A judge or prosecutor isn’t the affiant in this sense; they may authorize or file the case, but they don’t typically swear to the complaint based on their own belief about specific facts. And evaluating the statement as simply true or false misses the point, since the focus is on identifying who performs the oath.