Can a 17 year old really be charged as a runaway.

A

AlGrahamBell

New Member
My situation is a bit different; I am not a parent with an unruly child attempting to leave home. Nor am I a spoiled child trying to get away with running away from an adequate home. I am 17, I will be 18 in 8 months. I graduated high school at 16. From there I have worked two part time jobs(which is as close to "full time " I can work until I'm 18. I am financially independent. I provide for myself because my parents won't (as I have since I was 16.) My parents have shown me neglect, physical, mental, and emotional abuse. However, any time a case has been opened with DCS they always passed the inspection. Because, let's be honest, if you're not poor, not on drugs, and can greet your casemanager with an amiable, hospitable tone-then DCS is more likely than not going to dismiss the case. At one point I left home last year and managed to get my own place. I had an older friend co-sign for me on the lease and utility company and whatnot, and my mother had tried to press runaway charges. Well, she stopped the threats after a while and nothing happened.


In January she texted me, told me that she had talked to the court and that I was labeled as a runaway and unruly child if I didn't return home by 9pm that night. Me being the law-fearing person that I am, returned. She works out of state and only returns home every other month. But when she does come home, each time she sees me she will physically hit me until I'm out of sight and verbally abuse me (Fat Cunt, Stupid Brat, I can't wait until you're 18 and I can throw your pathetic ass on the streets where you belong)-the petty slurs are infinite. There's times where she will kick me out for a day or two. Tell me to not come back. And then suddenly text me telling me she has talked to the juvenile court, if I'm not home by a certain time, she's reporting me as a runaway and that I will be "picked up and sent off." Numerous times when i've tried to stand up for the way she invalidates me at home she's threatened me similarly saying I'm a minor, all she has to do is provide a matress and roof for me-which is all she does provide-and that if I "keep it up" she will give her rights up to court and have them "get rid" of me.

My question is....I am financially responsible for myself. I have a stable place to stay. I have my high school diploma. I am mentally stable and sound. Will the police actually take her report seriously, and can they legally pick me up from work and "send me off"? Everytime I've tried to seek help from a court or legal group I've been told I need to "tough it out" for the last year and that I shouldn't wish adult hood on me so fast. I just want a stable environment...
 
You can do what you want, when you want, as long as you want (except buy alcohol) the day you turn age 18.

Until that day, your mother or father or legal guardian rule supreme in your life. You have no rights directly, because ALL such rights flow to you through mom, pop, or legal guardian.

I suggest you bide your time until the day you reach majority.
According to you, mom is away 60 days or so,pops into her home, then pops back out.
If you're smart, that works to your benefit.
You can tolerate her presence in silence for a couple days, abracadabra, she's gone for another 60 days.

If you press it, it probably won't end as badly as you're told, but it won't be as good as having the run of mom's home for two months and living in sweet peace and silence.

You seem like a smart kid, high school grad already, so why not work on community college, a trade school, or something positive while you're awaiting your 18th birthday????
 
Will the police actually take her report seriously, No way for us to know.

and can they legally pick me up from work and "send me off"? Yes. Legally they can.

Did you report the abuse to CPS?
 
You've got 8 months until you no longer have to deal with any of this. Any sort of action you try and take now will take longer than 8 months to fully resolve. If you are being abused, report it to CPS. If you have bruised or marks, document them. Spend the next 8 months playing along and making sure you are ready and able to fully support yourself the day you turn 18. Do you have any other relatives, close family friends, neighbors or religious figures you can turn to for support?
 
In most jurisdictions it is not a crime to runaway from home, except in 9 states ( Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming). In these jurisdictions it is considered a "status offense", which means it is against the law only when someone under 18 years old does it.
 
Which is irrelevant. It does not have to be illegal for a minor to run away for it to be legal for the cops to pick him up and bring him home.

We have no way of knowing if the cops WILL pick him up and take him home. What he asked is if they legally CAN. And the answer is yes, they CAN. We do not know if they WILL.
 
Juveniles are never charged in juvenile courts with crimes.
The term most often used in Juvenile Court is "delinquent acts".
Juveniles are never convicted, either, they are generally adjudicated, or declared delinquent before the juvenile court.
A juvenile or minor can only be convicted if bound over to the adult court system for trial.
The purpose of Juvenile Court isn't to punish, but to correct and/or rehabilitate the child.
 
Something to consider.... go talk with a military recruiter. You might find they offer a way out, but you will still need parental consent. The recruiter will take care of that for you. You could be far away in no time, working full time with benefits and just about everything taken care of for you. What else are you going to be doing for the next few years?
Go talk to them... it won't hurt.
 
mightymoose said:
Something to consider.... go talk with a military recruiter. You might find they offer a way out, but you will still need parental consent. The recruiter will take care of that for you. You could be far away in no time, working full time with benefits and just about everything taken care of for you. What else are you going to be doing for the next few years?
Go talk to them... it won't hurt.
Click to expand...

You can't enlist in the military at age 17, unless one parent consents.
 

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