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Run away/complaint against a cop

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cam2

Junior Member
What is the name of your state? Washington State

Okay, so my sisters best friend ran away from home. Apparently, her mom physically(Not 100% sure this one is true) and emotionally abuses her to the point where she has attempted to commit suicide multiple time. So, she is gone for two weeks and shows up at my door today. So, later that day the cops show up, go to my back gate to my back yard. This gate is locked and my dogs are outside. He UNLOCKS the gate and one of my dogs bit him (Not bad at all, like a snip with no physical marks left). I run outside and he threatens to shoot my dog. I take my dogs inside and my mom talks to the cops. I don't know what happens but they threaten to cite my parents for my dog bitting them and for us harboring a run away. We try to explain to them the circumstance but they brush it all off and say we are in the wrong no matter what. She went outside the second her name was mentioned and then they took her away.


Just wondering if there is anything I can do legally for both getting her to stay here and if the cops committed some kind of violation. I filed a complaint against the officers but not sure whats gunna happen. The operator made it seem like we were completely in the wrong letting her stay here when it is like 20 degrees outside...


I dunno, im confused, frustrated, and angry. Any advice would be appreciated.
 


Just Blue

Senior Member
What is the name of your state? Washington State

Okay, so my sisters best friend ran away from home. Apparently, her mom physically(Not 100% sure this one is true) and emotionally abuses her to the point where she has attempted to commit suicide multiple time. So, she is gone for two weeks and shows up at my door today. So, later that day the cops show up, go to my back gate to my back yard. This gate is locked and my dogs are outside. He UNLOCKS the gate and one of my dogs bit him (Not bad at all, like a snip with no physical marks left). I run outside and he threatens to shoot my dog. I take my dogs inside and my mom talks to the cops. I don't know what happens but they threaten to cite my parents for my dog bitting them and for us harboring a run away. We try to explain to them the circumstance but they brush it all off and say we are in the wrong no matter what. She went outside the second her name was mentioned and then they took her away.


Just wondering if there is anything I can do legally for both getting her to stay here and if the cops committed some kind of violation. I filed a complaint against the officers but not sure whats gunna happen. The operator made it seem like we were completely in the wrong letting her stay here when it is like 20 degrees outside...


I dunno, im confused, frustrated, and angry. Any advice would be appreciated.

How long after she showed up at your door did your mother call either, the police to report she was at yor house, or her mother to tell her her daughter was at her home?
 

cam2

Junior Member
How long after she showed up at your door did your mother call either, the police to report she was at yor house, or her mother to tell her her daughter was at her home?
She called her mom maybe 2 hours after she got to our house. Her mom yelled at her and told her she was going to be put in jail so she hungup and didn't tell her mom she was here. Her mom gave the police a list of places she might be and they showed up here. We were 100% honest with the police thinking that it would be better that way for us. But, they acted like we were harboring a murder for years. It was ridiculous.
 

Just Blue

Senior Member
She called her mom maybe 2 hours after she got to our house. Her mom yelled at her and told her she was going to be put in jail so she hungup and didn't tell her mom she was here. Her mom gave the police a list of places she might be and they showed up here. We were 100% honest with the police thinking that it would be better that way for us. But, they acted like we were harboring a murder for years. It was ridiculous.
No...You were harboring a run-away...along with Parental Interference and Contributing to the Delinquency of a minor. When you grow up and your little princess runs away to a friends house you will get an idea of the torment this woman has been through. Tell your Mom I said "Good Job" being a responsible adult!:rolleyes:
 

cam2

Junior Member
No...You were harboring a run-away...along with Parental Interference and Contributing to the Delinquency of a minor. When you grow up and your little princess runs away to a friends house you will get an idea of the torment this woman has been through. Tell your Mom I said "Good Job" being a responsible adult!:rolleyes:
Her mom called her a and I quote "Selfish little C-u-n-t with no moral compass who is better off dead" I sure do hope I don't say stuff like that to my "little princess" :rolleyes:
 

Just Blue

Senior Member
Her mom called her a and I quote "Selfish little C-u-n-t with no moral compass who is better off dead" I sure do hope I don't say stuff like that to my "little princess" :rolleyes:
Really?...And did you hear this statement? Or did the runaway say that is what her mother said?

But it really doesn't matter. Your mother had no right to harbor a runaway. Period. She will now have to defend herself against criminal charges.
 

VeronicaLodge

Senior Member
i want to ask about the police going to the fenced in back yard rather than the front door and threatening to shoot the dog? im very concerned about that, is that ok?
 

CdwJava

Senior Member
i want to ask about the police going to the fenced in back yard rather than the front door and threatening to shoot the dog? im very concerned about that, is that ok?
It depends on why the police were going into the yard. I suspect they knocked at the front door and received no answer, but that's just a guess.

Without some other good cause, the officer going into the yard and getting nipped was his own problem.

- Carl
 

cam2

Junior Member
Really?...And did you hear this statement? Or did the runaway say that is what her mother said?

But it really doesn't matter. Your mother had no right to harbor a runaway. Period. She will now have to defend herself against criminal charges.
As soon as she got to my house my mother made her call her mother. Thats when that conversation happened and I heard it because she was talking to her on speakerphone so that my mother could hear. After hearing the conversation my mom said she could stay with us until tomorrow at which time she would have to get a note from her mother if she wanted to live here so that my mom could take her to the hospital if she needed to or something.

The cops apparently went into my back yard because run aways will run out the back door. Which I think they still can't do legally. I mean my gate was locked. You just got to move the little gate lock back and forth a couple times and it will open the gate. Isn't the breaking some kind of law?
 
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VeronicaLodge

Senior Member
It depends on why the police were going into the yard. I suspect they knocked at the front door and received no answer, but that's just a guess.

Without some other good cause, the officer going into the yard and getting nipped was his own problem.

- Carl
thanks carl,

sorry for threadjacking (sorta) OP, I just was curious about that part of your post.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
I mean my gate was locked. You just got to move the little gate lock back and forth a couple times and it will open the gate. Isn't the breaking some kind of law?
1) No

2) It was, obviously, not "locked"...it was "latched".
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
thanks carl,

sorry for threadjacking (sorta) OP, I just was curious about that part of your post.
I'm going to hazard a guess at this one:

The officer was facing an "occupational hazard". The homeowner didn't actually do anything wrong, but neither did the officer.
 

cam2

Junior Member
1) No

2) It was, obviously, not "locked"...it was "latched".
No, it's "obviously" not too smart to assume stuff after I clearly said it was locked because, IT WAS LOCKED. But if you wedge it enough it will open. Like there is a lock on the fence, but when you lift the latch it wont open. if you lift the latch enough you kinda pick up the entire gate which negates the lock. This isn't a mistake by the officer. It takes quiet a bit of effort to life it up and negate the lock. Which im 100% sure what he did because the lock is still on the gate and locked.


MY GATE WAS LOCKED!
 
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Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
No, it's "obviously" not too smart to assume stuff after I clearly said it was locked because, IT WAS LOCKED. But if you wedge it enough it will open. Like there is a lock on the fence, but when you lift the latch it wont open. if you lift the latch enough you kinda pick up the entire gate which negates the lock. This isn't a mistake by the officer. It takes quiet a bit of effort to life it up and negate the lock. Which im 100% sure what he did because the lock is still on the gate and locked.


MY GATE WAS LOCKED!
So, it goes from "You just got to move the little gate lock back and forth a couple times and it will open the gate." to some superhuman feat to open your gate.

You can't just make this up as you go along.

Good luck to you and your mother.

Good day.
 

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