Minor living with an adult in Washington State

[aquatic]

Hey can anyone please help me? My friend ran away from home recently (her dad got really mad at her and chased her with a bat and said he wanted to kill her or something). So she ran away and asked if she could stay with me. She is 16 and I am 22, if we are not having a sexual relationship is this legal? She does not have anywhere else to go and if I kick her out she will litterally be living on the streets! She does not have any family she can stay with. So basically what I really need to know is what the washington state laws say about this and can I got to jail for letting her stay with me? I am sure her parents filed a missing persons report and she has my phone number on her phone records so I am guessing the police would show up at my house eventually looking for her, could they get a search warrant? If they did find her staying here howmuch trouble would I get into? I dont know what to do she does not have anywhere else to go and her dad seriously said he wanted to kill her and I dont want to be introuble with the law or go to jail.

ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED THANKS!

[Mr. Knowitall]

If you inform her parents where she is, don't try to harbor her secretly from her parents, and provide a safe, appropriate living environment, there shouldn't be a problem.

[aquatic]

I can provide a safe living environment. She does not want me to tell her parents where she is, if I do she will just leave and live on the streets and god knows what will happen to her Could I go to jail for this? I am trying to do the right thing here and keep her safe in the process.

[aaron]

Pursuant to Washington State law:

(1)

(a) A person commits the crime of unlawful harboring of a minor if the person provides shelter to a minor without the consent of a parent of the minor and after the person knows that the minor is away from the home of the parent, without the parent's permission, and if the person intentionally:

(i) Fails to release the minor to a law enforcement officer after being requested to do so by the officer; or

(ii) Fails to disclose the location of the minor to a law enforcement officer after being requested to do so by the officer, if the person knows the location of the minor and had either taken the minor to that location or had assisted the minor in reaching that location; or

(iii) Obstructs a law enforcement officer from taking the minor into custody; or

(iv) Assists the minor in avoiding or attempting to avoid the custody of the law enforcement officer.

(b) It is a defense to a prosecution under this section that the defendant had custody of the minor pursuant to a court order.

(2) Unlawful harboring of a minor is punishable as a gross misdemeanor.

(3) Any person who provides shelter to a child, absent from home, may notify the department's local community service office of the child's presence.

(4) An adult responsible for involving a child in the commission of an offense may be prosecuted under existing criminal statutes including, but not limited to:

(a) Distribution of a controlled substance to a minor, as defined in RCW 69.50.406;

(b) Promoting prostitution as defined in chapter 9A.88 RCW; and

(c) Complicity of the adult in the crime of a minor, under RCW 9A.08.020.

Also,

(1) Any person who, without legal authorization, provides shelter to a minor and who knows at the time of providing the shelter that the minor is away from the parent's home without the permission of the parent, or other lawfully prescribed residence, shall promptly report the location of the child to the parent, the law enforcement agency of the jurisdiction in which the person lives, or the department. The report may be made by telephone or any other reasonable means.

(2) Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section.

(a) "Shelter" means the person's home or any structure over which the person has any control.

(b) "Promptly report" means to report within eight hours after the person has knowledge that the minor is away from a lawfully prescribed residence or home without parental permission.

(3) When the department receives a report under subsection (1) of this section, it shall make a good faith attempt to notify the parent that a report has been received and offer services designed to resolve the conflict and accomplish a reunification of the family.

This is important as well - notifying the authorities can protect you from being sued:

If a person provides the notice required in RCW 13.32A.082, he or she is immune from liability for any cause of action arising from providing shelter to the child. The immunity shall not extend to acts of intentional misconduct or gross negligence by the person providing the shelter.

Local ordinances may also apply, which can be even more stringent.

[zigmystr]

Pursuant to Washington State law:

Also,

This is important as well - notifying the authorities can protect you from being sued:

Local ordinances may also apply, which can be even more stringent.

If the parent knows where the 17 1\2 yr. old is at and has willingly allowed him to go and stay there can she then report me as harboring him? She has allowed him to stay with my family for the past 6 days and now is threatening to file a runaway report and harboring charges because the child wants more time to consider their options.He continues to work while in my care.He will continue with school while in my care.He has just 6 mos left of school and 7 mos. til he turns 18. What are his options?
Thanks for any help you can offer.

[Mr. Knowitall]

Notify local law enforcement of his location and his home address.