My daughter just turned 14 in August. She has ADHD, ODD, and depression. I have been trying for 2 years to get her into a residential treatment facility (psych hospital). The Juvenile Services people did not want to do that and put her into a group home instead. The group home let her stop taking her medication and did not notify me or her Juvenile Services representative. She ran away 9/10/07 and has not been back since. She e-mailed me to tell me that she was OK, but that she is not in MD anymore. I have several questions:
1. What legal resources are available to help me find my daughter? Initially I was told that running away is not a crime even though she has special needs and is supposed to be on medication. Has this changed now that she has crossed state lines?
2. If someone is helping her by providing shelter, food, money, etc. can they be charged with a crime?
3. Do I have legal recourse against the Juvenile Services department and the group home?
14-Year-Old Runaway in Maryland
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10-03-2007, 07:27 AMcptr_guru14-Year-Old Runaway in Maryland
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10-04-2007, 06:12 AMMr. KnowitallRe: 14-Year-Old Runaway in MarylandThat's what the police told you? What did they tell you when you went back, and told them that she's now in another state?Quote:
Quoting cptr_guru
Technically "running away" is a status offense, not a crime - but a minor can still be picked up by the police and even held in a secure facility as a consequence of "running away".
It may be possible to pinpoint your daughter's location (or come close) by using the IP information from the header of the email she sent you.
Maybe. It's going to depend upon the facts.Quote:
Quoting cptr_guru
For what?Quote:
Quoting cptr_guru
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10-04-2007, 08:00 AMcptr_guruRe: 14-Year-Old Runaway in Maryland
1. The police were supposedly looking for her. I was just hoping that maybe after she crossed state lines another agency could get involved because I felt like the police were not doing as much as they could. She had been gone for over three weeks. I asked them to contact the local news to have her picture put on and they refused.
The police were trying to track her down by the IP address.
All of this is moot, however, because she was picked up yesterday.
3. My daughter has been on medication since the 4th grade. By all accounts, you are not supposed to suddenly stop taking the type of medication she was on. When the judge released my daughter to the group home, she ordered that my daughter take her medication. I feel that this is a major contributor to why she ran away. Also, if she had been placed in a residential treatment facility, she would not have been able to run away because they are locked down.