16 yr old runaway across state lines

[Unregistered]

Our 16 year old ran away & was picked up south of Provo Utah. We live in Boise Idaho. He supposedly had court this morning in Provo but we have not heard from them yet. Will Utah bring him back to Idaho? He threatened the police in Utah that if they brought him back to Idaho he will just runaway again. We don't have alot of money & are at a loss, we have no idea what to do. Does anyone have any advise?

[ccsmod5]

Re: 16 yr old runaway across state lines

Hello,

Thanks for contacting our bulletins and sharing your story. Sounds like there is a lot of intense stuff going on and we hope that we'll be able to help in some way.

When youth cross state lines they are dealing with the juvenile laws of two states. It's not illegal to run away from home but when a runaway report is filed the youth are then detained until either their legal matters have been handled or parents are able to pick up the youth.

It sounds like neither of those are going to happen and generally police do not drive youth back home, especially not across state lines. And when it comes to the juvenile issues the outcomes can vary:

-they may detain him there and he'll have to finalize all issues with the courts
-they may make it mandatory that you pick him up
-rarely, do they relase youth without a proper gaurdian present

It also sounds like you're trying to find ways to go and get him yourself. The only organizations that could possibly provide you with emergency funds for fuel are the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities. You can usually find one or both of these organizations by calling United Way at 211. They are a directory service for social service agencies.

If you'd like to explore this a bit more you can call our crisis hotline at 1800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We can explore more in depth options.

Best of luck,
NRS