Penalty for haboring a runaway in NM & what to do?

[Guest]

My daughter's friend called us one night and needed a place to stay since the weather was very cold. I think this child is a runaway but not sure. I am not sure what to do because I don't know if I will get in trouble for having this child stay with us until he decides what to do. He told me that his father abandoned him while he went into a store and hitched back to our town. I know he was having problems with his father before. His father mentioned one time that he was a runaway and a manipulator. However, I also heard that this child's father physically and verbally abuse him from his friends who witnessed this. I personally witnessed a disturbing event where this child was chained. I just found out that if he is really a runaway I could be in trouble with the law for having him stay with us, is this true? Is this a federal and state offense? I just want to do the right thing for this kid, but I know the system isn't always the best. I also am aware that this kid may not be truthful, but how do I find out without getting myself in trouble with the law? Help me.

[ccsmod3]

Re: Penalty for haboring a runaway in NM & what to do?

Thanking you for reaching out to us at the National Runaway Switchboard. It sounds like you are quite concerned about your daughter’s friend. It also appears that you are worried about getting in legal trouble for letting him stay with you. We are not legal experts here, but to our knowledge in most states it is considered illegal to harbor a runaway. The police or a legal aid resource should be able to tell you what kind of offenses and consequences are involved with this crime. Below are some legal aid resources for the state of New Mexico.

New Mexico Legal Aid – Albuquerque
(505) – 243 – 7871
http://www.nmlegalaid.org

University of New Mexico Clinical Law Programs – Albuquerque
(505) – 277 – 5265

New Mexico Legal Aid – Las Cruces
(505) – 541 – 4820

In addition to legal questions, it also sounds like you have some concern about this youth’s safety. You mentioned physical and verbal abuse, which sounds like a difficult place for your daughter’s friend to be right now. Do you know if this has ever been reported and/ or if Child Protective Services (CPS) has ever intervened? If not, have you considered contacting them as an option? Below is the New Mexico Abuse Reporting hotline.

Child Abuse Reporting (24 HR)
(800) – 797 – 3260

Should you or your daughter’s friend decide to report abuse, you can call the hotline listed above or call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. We can either take the report and pass it along to CPS or we can conference call with CPS should this youth decide to call us and make the report. If he decides the latter option, we would stay on the line and be able to advocate on his behalf. Also, since you are concerned about getting in trouble, is staying at a youth shelter at all an option? Shelters are generally required by law to contact and/or get consent by the parent or guardian within a certain period of time which is usually anywhere from immediately to 72 hours. Below are some shelter resources for your state.

A NEW DAY YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES – Albuquerque
(505) – 938 – 1060
http://www.ndnm.org

YOUTH SHELTERS & FAMILY SERVICES – Santa Fe
(505) – 983 – 0586
http://www.youthshelters.org

We hope some of these referrals are of help to you and if you find yourself needing additional assistance, you and your daughter's friend are welcome to call us at our 24 hr hotline, 1-800-RUNAWAY. We wish you the best of luck!

- NRS

[Unregistered]

Can I move out at 17 and go live with my boyfriend

Hi I would like to know if I can move out and live with my boyfriends but I don't wanna get him and his mom introuble I'm tired of living here with my parents we are not in the same page I wanna work put they don't let me I think it's better if I moved out since we cant talk good.what can I do

[ccsmod0]

Re: Penalty for haboring a runaway in NM & what to do?

Hi,
Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Switchboard with your question. We are glad that you found our bulletin and hopefully we can be of help. Because only you know the ins and outs of your situation, we can’t tell you what to do, but what we can do is explore some options you might have.
It sounds like you have some things going on at home that you are unhappy with. It can be frustrating to feel like you aren’t being heard. Have you tried talking with your parents about how you feel? It seems like getting a job is important to you. Have you had a chance to express that to them?
You mentioned that it is difficult for you to communicate well with your parents. We actually have a 3 way calling service if you want support on the line. You can call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY and we can conference call your parents, providing support to you-just as a neutral 3rd party. We are here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or also from 4:30-11:30pm CST through chat on our website if you want to talk directly with someone.

NRS

[Unregistered]

I'm 17 and I live in Socorro NM. I can't take it living here at home anymore. If I have a place to stay could I just leave? Or will the cops make me return home if I am found? I need answers ASAP and talking it out to my parents isn't an option they don't understand.

[ccsmod0]

RE:

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out tonight and asking these questions. They are good questions and it’s clear that you’re trying to put together a solid plan. It was smart of you to reach out, so let’s see how we can help you out tonight.

We aren’t legal experts here, but we are able to speak generally as to what might happen if you decide to leave home. We were able to call your local police department in NM (at 575-835-4222) and they said that if you were to leave home at 17 without your parent’s permission, then your parents have the right to file a runaway report with the police and the police could force you back home all the way until you are 18. That also means that the people you would be staying with could also be charged with harboring a runaway.

We hope this information is helpful to you. If you want to talk more about anything or have any questions about the information above, you can call us 24 hours a day at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). If you can’t call, you can chat with us through our website (www.1800runaway.org) from 4.30pm-11.30pm Central Time. We look forward to your call or chat.

Best of luck,

NRS

[Unregistered]

Help.! Is it illegal for me to leave?

Hello.!
Im 17 and ill be 18 in November this month.! My mom told me last night to pack my stuff and leave. I told her fine and called my boyfriend to come pick me up. She then told me that if I left she would report me as a run away and have me arrested. Can she really do this? Is it legal in the state of new mexico for me to leave? Help me please!?

[ccsmod11]

Re: Help.! Is it illegal for me to leave?

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out to us, it sounds like things are difficult at home right now with your mom. Unfortunately we are not legal experts at NRS and therefore cannot speculate as to what would happen if you were to leave home while you are still under 18 years old. There is the New Mexico Legal Aid office which can be reached at 505-243-7871 if you are looking to speak to a legal expert about your situation. Additionally since you are so close to 18 years old you could attempt to anonymously call your town’s non-emergency police number to discuss your situation and see how the police would respond. Typically if you are under 18 years old and leave home your legal guardian can file a runaway report with the police which would result in you being returned home if located. The legal consequences would usually fall with the adult (if your boyfriend is over 18 years old or his parents) who the runaway is staying with as they would be considered “harboring a runaway”.

Of course you have the right to feel safe physically and emotionally in your home and NRS is available 24/7 to discuss your options and the situation. You can chat with us online through our website at www.1800runaway.org or call us at 1-800-786-2929 anytime.

Best of luck,
NRS

[Unregistered]

I hate mystep mom

What can i do to get away from her but not be sent to a foster home

[ccsmod5]

re: I hate mystep mom

Hey there,

Thank you for being able to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline, it sounds like you are going through a pretty tough time at this point in your life and we want you to know that we are here to listen and to help in the best way that we can.

We want you to know that we are not legal experts here which means that we are only able to speak in general terms. In most states, if you are still considered a minor, in order to leave home, you would need parental consent. If you wanted to know more accurately about what could happen or how you would go about your situation, please feel free to reach out to your local police department and ask some general questions. If that is something that makes you nervous, please feel free to reach out to us and we would be more than happy to talk through your situation and call your local police department for you.

We hope that we are able to give you some general information about what we do and how we could help. Please remember that our hotline is available 24/7 and could be reached at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We also have a live chat program that is available every day from 4:30 PM until 11:30 PM CST. We wish you the best of luck and hope to get your call or chat soon.

Stay strong,

NRS

[Unregistered]

Daughter missing

My 17 year old daughter ran away from home yo be with her boyfriend , whom we didn't quite approve of. I reported her missing and after two weeks of her not attending school I had no chose but to drop her. I found out she was staying at her boyfriends house, thru Facebook I was able to get the mother number and I called her, I expected her to say she wasn't aware of kasandra being a runaway she knew!!!!! And fully encouraged her to stay! She even mentioned that her son and my daughter were trying to have a baby! It's been months and the police can locate their house. Yesterday I finally found out where she's living. Why won't the police go pick her up immediately? Will they arrest this woman? Even my 20 and 15 year old have had no contact with her in months nor none of kasandra sold friends, it's like she's been held hostage

[ccsmod16]

REaughter missing

Thank you for contacting us here at the National Runaway Safeline.

It sounds like the last few months have been really stressful for you. We are glad to hear that your hard and proactive efforts have finally led you to finding your daughter.
You said that the police did not go pick her up immediately.
That's unfortunate.

It must also feel extremely frustrating for you not getting full cooperation from the boyfriend's mother.
From what you described you had originally filed a missing person report and now you know where your daughter is. You might consider attempting to file a runaway report.

We are not legal experts at NRS but just speaking in general terms running away under the age of 18 is considered a status offense. If you are able to file a runaway report the police could bring your daughter back home.
Most states have laws against aiding or harboring a runaway,meaning the people who your daughter has been staying with could possibly be charged with aiding/ harboring a runaway.
You could call your local police department to get more details about the laws in your area.
If you would like you could also call us at our hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) and we could call the local police department for you.

It sounds like you have been through a stressful period. How have you been doing emotionally?
Have you talked about what you had been going through with any close friends, or relatives?
Sometimes it can be helpful to express your feelings with someone else.

If you would like you could also call Team HOPE at 1-866-305-4673, where you could talk to parents of runaways. They could share their stories with you, listen to you, suggest you options and/or could provide you emotional support as well.

You can always reach us at our hotline or live chat with us at www.1800runaway.org and we would be happy to explore options and provide you any resources you would like.

We wish you good luck and hopefully things will work out well for you.

Take Care,
NRS

[Monkey26]

I don't want to live here anymore. I don't feel safe

I'm 13 and my home life keeps getting worse and worse. I could go and live with my dad in California but I don't wanna leave New Mexico and school. But i wanna know if I could be put into a foster home for at least a month. Without getting my parents consense. I have a place to stay for if I run away and Ik they could get into trouble and I can't do that to them so r there any places in rio rancho nm for people like me or someone I can call where I can be put into a foster home for some time without my parents having to sign anything?

[ccsmod5]

re: I don't want to live here anymore. I don't feel safe

Hey there,

Thank you for being able to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It seems like you are going through a pretty tough time at this point in your life and we want you to know that we are here to listen and help in the best way that we can.

We want to start off by letting you know that we are not legal experts here which means that we are only able to speak in general terms. In most states, because you are a minor, you would need parental consent in order to live anywhere besides your parent’s home. Also, in order to be accepted into a group home, you would either need parental consent or the decision would need to be made by child services. As we mentioned, we are not legal experts here, if you wanted more information about group home, please remember that you are able to reach out to Child Help USA at 1-800-422-4453.

We hope that we were able to help you think a little more about your options and brainstorm some more with you, if you feel like you would still need some more support or go through some more options, please feel free to reach out to us here at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) we are here 24/7. We also have a live chat service which is available from 4:30 PM to 11:30 PM CST. We wish you the best of luck in whatever it is you decide to do and hope to hear from you soon.


Stay strong,


NRS

[Unregistered]

Re: Penalty for haboring a runaway in NM & what to do?

I have this 15 year old and I did a police report this morning and my daughter has been missing for about a week now. She is staying with a ex's family member but for her it is her auntie. I need to know what to do from here. I have done everything that I can to be a great mom but she is just a flight risk.please help me!