girlfriend is 17 (will be 2 months away from 18 at the time of leaving home) help??

[Unregistered]

hi,
i'm in a really tough situation. i'm a 16 year old girl, and my girlfriend is 17 (almost eighteen) and living in the next city over from my town. Her family has always been borderline abusive (verbally) and since coming out to her mom as a lesbian, things have gotten much worse. her mom wont even let her tell her dad because she's afraid he'll react violently. recently, we both found out her father is going to be stationed in mississippi this summer (he's in the military) since she'll be turning 18 that september and would be coming to live with me anyways, i don't understand why she needs to move there in the first place, if only for two months. plus, with transferring schools and money for a flight, it would be expensive and inconvenient for her to leave her home from mississippi, not to mention the potential danger of being in a place with her family without someone she can go to for help if it's needed. i live in a safe place with both my parents who would be happy for her to live with us until we both graduate next year and find a place of our own. we have been in a stable relationship for a long time, and there's no danger of us breaking up or anything and her having to find another place to live.
we are planning for her to come over during a school day and have her driven by a friend where she lives, and leave a note explaining the situation. because of her age, is it likely the police would take action? she would literally be two months away from legally being able to move on her own accord. not to mention we have proof of the abuse she's suffered, including her father threatening to kill her. we just recently moved, and it would be difficult for her family to find my house once she decided to stay here, but obviously this is a dangerous situation, since her father obviously has violent tendencies.
if the police get involved, would explaining the situation be any help? all i want is for my girlfriend to be in a safe place where she doesn't feel so sad anymore, and the emotional strain her family has put on her as well as her dad's dangerous and erratic behavior, it's clear that being somewhere where she's appreciated and can be provided for would help that a lot.
please help!! i feel so lost and i dont want my family to get in trouble for trying to house her!
do you know anything that might make this situation easier?

[ccsmod9]

RE: girlfriend is 17 (will be 2 months away from 18 at the time of leaving home) help

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out and contacting us at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like your girlfriend is in a tough situation. You sound like a very caring girlfriend. No one deserves to be abused.

We're not legal experts at NRS, but we can give you some basic information about running away. In general, the age of majority in most states is age 18, so if your girlfriend leaves, her parents could file a runaway report. Running away is considered a status offense, which means that the police could return her home if she runs away, but it won't stay on her record past the age of majority. If your family takes her in, however, that can be considered harboring a runaway.

We can definitely discuss options with your girlfriend. We are here to help. She or you can call us 24 hours a day and 7 days a week at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). If you're more comfortable with chatting, you can also chat with us online by pressing the red button on our website, www.1800runaway.org. That service is available from 4:30 to 11:30 pm Central time. We hope to hear from you soon.

Best of luck,

NRS