17 runaway

[Unregistered]

I just turned 18, living in California. My girlfriend is living a pretty rough and abusive life at home. Seems like any day now, she'll be kicked out into the streets. Being her boyfriend, I would take her in to live with me. Problem is her parents hate me. It's a pretty complicated situation for the simple fact that I feel like her parents would arrogantly call the police on me and my family, saying that I'm housing a runway minor, leaving out the part that they were the ones to kick her out in the first place. Yes I know, pretty hard situation, but knowing her parents, they'll probably end up doing that. Not being to familiar with runaway laws and other laws involving that situation, I would really appreciate it if I had some insight on this. Would I be charged with housing a runaway minor? If my girlfriend told law enforcement that she was kicked out, would that charge go away? And would child services step in from her parents kicking her out?

[ccsmod1]

RE: 17 runaway

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to us for help. It sounds like your girlfriend is in a really terrible situation at home, and we are glad that you came to us for answers and advice. It sounds like you really care about her and want to do the right thing. Nobody deserves to be abused or mistreated in their home. If your girlfriend gets kicked out and come to live with you, there are a few things that might happen. We are not legal experts, but we can help answer some of your questions and give you a general idea of how things work. If she gets kicked out of the house, she has the right to file a lockout report with the police at that time, or to file an abuse report. If she is considering this, please have her call us so we can talk her through the process and even file a report on her behalf. If her parents report her as a runaway, then the police might come look for her and make her go home. Running away is not a criminal offence, but because she is a minor, police can take her into custody and release her into the custody of her parents. In some circumstances police will choose to react differently, based on the specifics of the case. Harboring a runaway, however, is a criminal offence. If you obstruct a police investigation or hide your girlfriend, you could be charged with a crime. Again, this all depends on the situation, and you might think about calling your local police non-emergency number to ask questions clarifying the law and police procedure in your area.

It is really responsible of you to do research and to come to us with questions. We are here to listen and support you in any way that we can. Your girlfriends might have other options and resources available to her as well, so you can give her our number and we can see if we can help her figure out what she wants to do. Our 24/7 hotline number is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). You can also reach us through our live chat service on our website, www.1800RUNAWAY.org, between the hours of 4:30pm and 11:30pm Central Standard Time. Please do not hesitate to come to us with any questions you might have, or even call us if you just need someone to talk to. We are here for you and for your girlfriend. We are looking forward to your call or chat.

Best of luck,
NRS