How far will the cops go to find me?

[Unregistered]

Im 16 and planning on running away. I live in maryland and if im correct running away isnt a crime here and i wouldnt be charged with a status offense. I plan on staying with someone an hour away shes my ex. But can the police search homes? What if my mom and comes to her and makes a scene?

[ccsmod2]

Thank you for reaching out and contacting us. It sounds like you are planning on leaving home and want to know what the police would do if you left. Unfortunately, we aren’t legally trained here so we wouldn’t be able to give you any specifics but we can try to help you find resources that may be able to give you answers.

Now, our understanding is that if a youth is under18, they are still considered a minor and their parents can file a runaway report. How the police handle that report is different in every jurisdiction; some may actively look for a runaway and some may put the report in the system but not do anything. Running away isn’t illegal but it is considered a status offense, which is something you can’t do if you are under the age of 18. If the police were to locate you, they would contact your parents or legal guardians to let them know where you were.

It sounds like you are planning to go to an ex’s house about an hour away from where you live. If your mom knew where you were going, she may be able to tell the police that location but again, every jurisdiction may handle this differently. Some may search the house to see if you are there and some may just ask if you are there but not actively look. Since we aren’t legally trained, we wouldn’t be able to tell you what the police would do. Now, one other thing we would like you to know about is that your ex’s parents may get into trouble if you are there. If your mom files a runaway report, they could possibly get into trouble for harboring a runaway or contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

There are a few legal aid resources located in Maryland and they might be able to give you more specific information. If you are not comfortable calling them on your own, you can call us here and we can help you make calls to them.
Life Crisis Center, Inc. (410) 749-4357
Legal Aid Bureau (800) 999-8904

If you go to our website, we do have a list of questions and other things to consider before leaving home (http://www.1800runaway.org/youth/nrs_can_help/). You can also call us here at anytime; our number is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We also have online chat services that are available from 4:30 PM-11:30 PM (CST), through our website (www.1800runaway.org).

We look forward to hearing from you and wish you the best of luck.

~NRS