17 year old want to leave but afraid if what will happen

[Unregistered]

I'm a 17 year old female in Oregon
And I am planning to leave my house.
I have a place to stay that will be
Safe and I have a job and I hi am going
To buy a new car. I have 6 months
Until graduation and I just cannot
Stay with my dad anymore. I live
With my dad because my mom moved away
She and I are not on good terms and
She lives too far away for me to
Even want to live with her... My dad
Is verbally abusive and he just took
My car and sold it and grounded me
For 6 months because I forgot to text
Him. I can't and won't live with his
Crap anymore. I just want to know if
I leave what will happen? What can
The state of oregon do to me? Will
The cops track me down if I leave?
I won't have permission to be leaving
So if my dad calls the cops what will
They do? I would keep in touch with
My dad enough to let him know I was
Alive but nothing more. Also if I went
To school could the cops come to the
School and force me home? I really
Hope you can answer some of my
Questions. I plan to stick around
The same town but just get out from
Under my parents thumb. I have many
People telling me I will get arrested
As a runaway but its not illegal to
Run away in Oregon. Since I'm 17
Would the police even care enough to
Look for me since I'm close enough
To 18? Please help me!!

[ccsmod1]

RE: 17 year old want to leave but afraid if what will happen

Hello,

Thank you so much for your post. We are sorry to hear that you are living with verbal abuse from your father. You don’t deserve that, and it is understandable that you would want to leave home. Sounds like you turn 18 in two months, but would like to leave before your birthday, which is understandable because it sounds like you are in a very difficult situation and you have somewhere to stay where you would feel more comfortable. 18 years old is generally the age that an individual may leave home without permission from their parent or legal guardian. We are not legal experts here but we can speak in general terms. If you leave home without permission before your 18th birthday, your dad may file a runaway report with the police. What actions the police take once you are filed as a runaway can vary a lot from state to state and even city to city so we cannot predict exactly what would happen in your case. Generally speaking, if you encounter a police officer while reported as a runaway, you will likely be returned home. Another thing to consider is that while running away is not a crime, a legal adult who allows you to stay with them may be putting themselves at risk for being charged with harboring a runaway, so whoever offered you a place to stay could wind up with criminal charges if your father calls the police. A good way to find out the laws in your area is to call your local police there in Oregon and ask what their policies are regarding runaway youth. They might be able to answer your questions with more certainty than we can as we are not legal experts. You can contact us if you need to talk. We are here to listen and support you in any way that we can, and we can help talk through your options and come up with a plan to stay safe. We are looking forward to hearing from you soon, and wish you the best of luck.