Am I legally considered a runaway? Please Help

[Unregistered]

This is probably going to be really long. BUT , On 12/08/15 Me and my legal guardian got into a very bad fight and it did get physical.
She spit directly in my face on purpose, So i pushed her off of me as hard as i could. We were fighting because she wanted my pain medication that was prescribed to me by my oral surgeon.
During our fight , my phone rang and she answered it , I screamed a million times for whoever it was to call Authorities AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
My guardian insisted that if i wanted police involved that she would drive me to the police station. I put on my shoes and of course i was the first one outside , She locked me out.
So i have been on my own for awhile. I have contacted the Guardian several times to try and get my ID and clothing from her home. She also has over 500$ of my hard earned money.
I had always had a job when in her care and I provided for myself and even her when she was unemployed for several months. She was fired from her job FOR NEVER SHOWING UP. Does that sound like an adult to you? This woman has been manipulating me from the second she took guardianship of me. She clearly has a drug problem since she has stolen my medication several times. In another state she was a foster parent and had the foster children as well as her daughter taken out of her care by CPS because of her drug use and the violent men she had around. I have had to quit my job and drop out of school since she locked me out. She reported to the police that i ran away or left while she was in the shower, which is a lie. I am scared to go to authorities just be because i do not want to be put into a foster home when i am only 5 months away from being 18. Does it sound like i am really a run away??

[ccsmod15]

Re: Am I legally considered a runaway? Please Help

We are glad you reached out to us, it sounds like you are in a difficult situation. We are sorry to hear about what is going on with your legal guardian and you don't deserve to be treated this way. It sounds like you have made the effort to get into contact with your guardian but she has decided to file you as a runaway regardless. We hope you are in a safe place right now and we are available to also provide you with shelter resources in your area if needed.

It is understandable you wanted to tell someone about the fight so you could be safe, and we are here to support you. You mentioned that she has had trouble with CPS before- have you considered reaching out to CPS and telling them about what is going on? If you feel unsafe and would like to make a child abuse report you can reach out to Child Help USA at 1-800-422-4453- this is a supportive, information hotline where you can learn more about reports. We are also mandated reporters, so if you were to disclose any information regarding abuse and provided us with any identifying information we would be obligated to make a report.

You asked a great question in wondering if it sounded like you were a runaway and we will try to answer that the best we can. Running away is a status offence, meaning it is illegal to do because of your age but you cannot be arrested or charged with running away. One thing to consider is that whoever you are staying with could be arrested and charged with harboring a runaway which is a misdemeanor offence. We can’t say how the police would react, but one thing to consider is you can always call the non-emergency numbers and ask questions to see how they would react and speak generally on your situation.

We are sorry to hear that your legal guardian has been treating you this way, and we are here to support you. If you would like to talk more in depth about your situation you can give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY where we are available 24/7 or you can reach out to us through our chat service.

Best,

NRS