"Fleeing" the Country

My question involves juvenile law in the State of: Oregon

First, I must apologize for the length of this post. There are many details that must be considered, and I shall do my best to enumerate them with some sense of brevity.

The uncomfortable first: I am on informal probation. I'm 17, and one night a friend of mine through a party at his house. His parents were out of town, and he invited me. I, stupidly, went. I come from an Italian family, and drinking is kind of a cultural thing. However, what I did was out of line (nothing my parents didn't do in high school, but that's not much of an excuse it seems). Anyway, I came home more than a little drunk, my mother was furious, and she called the police in anger. Consequently, I was issued a citation. Following that, I signed an informal probation contract. That contract ended two weeks ago. HOWEVER, the probation officer in charge of my case was concerned about the family dynamic of my household, and thought it would be best to maintain my probation (which I personally think is absolutely ridiculous, as I did not violate any laws or really do anything wrong whilst on probation). But nonetheless, I signed a new contract that is 6 months long.

Now, before the initial probation was up I entertained the idea of leaving the country for an exchange with my probation councilor, and he said that as long as my parents were fine with it, he wouldn't pursue an extended probation period. So, I convinced my parents, and bought a ticket. That ticket is for tomorrow. But now, my mother won't let me go. She hid my passport, and insists that I must stay here (which she told the probation officer, and consequently my case was extended). All of this seems highly unreasonable to me, and in all actuality, not fair in the least. I served my probation without incident, and I should not have to serve it again because my officer is concerned with my family dynamic (basically, my mother and I don't get along, big news for a teenager and an over-controlling parent, right?).

Anyway, tomorrow I will not be getting on a plane, and have wasted about $1000.

But I am not posting to ask advice about getting out of this extension or anything along those lines. I won't to know if I can realistically leave anyway, in a few weeks. I have all of my high school credits completed, so there's nothing scholastic holding me back. Furthermore, I have been accepted to a top 10 university in London, and will be going there in the fall. I started my own business a few years ago, and have the tuition money needed for the first year. Also, I have saved about $15,000 in addition to the tuition, and can continue my business from abroad.

What I'm considering is leaving the country anyway, to Ukraine. As far as I'm aware, there is no extradition treaty signed between the US and Ukraine. I have a very good friend who lives there, and her family has always been very supportive of me. I was planning to rent an apartment in their city, and live there until I start university in London in the fall.

Obviously, I would leave some sort of note to my parents. But seeing as money is not a primary issue, I was wondering what the legal ramifications of this might be. I'm assuming since I'm on informal probation the US government is not going to exert itself in obtaining me, especially since I will be turning 18 in June. The reasons for me leaving are extensive, and it's not really consequential to explain them here, just trust that I'm not being melodramatic. It might seem childish, but I've always been one for creative solutions, and there are many benefits of me going (not just vis-a-vis escaping the status quo, but I also intend to learn Russian and enhance my resume through related experiences that I've already lined up in Ukraine). In essence, I have a plan. I just need to know what to expect legally.


Thank you in advance for getting through all of that detail, and as a simple disclaimer, I really am just looking for advice as to what the consequences could be legally for me. I won't be coming back to the US for at least four years, since I will be in college in Europe, but will any action be taken against me when I get to Ukraine?

Until you are 18, you cannot legally leave the country without permission from your parents.

How do you expect to enter another country without a passport?

I'm genuinely curious.

I did not violate any laws

Not, say, ORS 471.430?

@Dogmatique: Well I have a passport, it's just that my mother took it. Obviously I will need to get it back (I know where it is, but of course I will not take it until I actually leave).

@cbg: Yes, clearly what I did was against the law. I meant whilst on probation I did not commit any sort of crime.


Perhaps this was not a helpful place to ask about the ramifications of my proposed "escape". I'm not interested in semantics. I really would like to know what could happen if I actually follow through with this. I want to know consequences, that's it.

Anything from "nothing" to your being dragged back home by your ear. Or anything in between. The crystal ball is in the shop.

When you are 18 years old, you can walk out the door and no one can stop you. Until them, you leave home at the pleasure of your parents. Make no mistake, if nothing happens when you leave, it is because your parents choose to have nothing happen.

Perhaps you should ask your PO about the ramifications.

Be aware too that your criminal history might just be an issue once you get to the UK.

@cbg: Thank you for the response. That is pretty much what I figured. I'm not so sure it's a risk I'm comfortable with, as my parents might indeed drag me back (and in that case, I would be in much greater trouble). However, if they did nothing, what do you surmise might happen with my probation situation?

@dogmatique: Are you saying that this would result in my developing a criminal history? I'm informally on probation, so I'm not actually charged with anything. Of course I cannot ask the PO about this...

If you leave against the conditions of your probation, that may indeed result in you ending up with a criminal history.