State: Virginia
I have an issue dealing with my little sister and I would greatly appreciate if anyone knows any information that could help me out with this situation. My sister is 17 years old (she'll be 18 in November) and has a five month old baby. She was in foster care until last summer when she got into trouble and kept running away and was then put into a group home for pregnant and deliquent females in the western part of the state. A little over two months ago she ran away from the group home with the baby and no one knows where she is.
My sister recently contacted me through a restricted phone number and was interested in turning herself in because she wants the baby to be able to get the shots he needs. She told me that she left the group home because of a number of reasons. 1. When she came home from school everyday she noticed scratches on her baby's face that were a result of the baby scratching his face with fingernails that were too long and the people in charge refused to cut (the people in charge of her home are supposed to watch the babies while the girls are in school during the day). 2. Her baby was sick sometimes and the people in charge wouldn't give the baby any medicine, so my sister would hide the medicine in her room (she got into trouble for that). 3. Her baby was crying late at night so she sat in her bed with him, comforting him, and the people in charge tried to say that she was suffocating him. My sister says that the people in charge treat her different than all of the other girls (she is the only white girl there) and are more strict and mean to her than the other girls in the home, constantly paying attention mainly to her, waiting for her only to screw up. I don't know, but that kind of sounds like racism to me. So, that's why my sister ran away.
My sister also has been told that she has four felonies on her record. She told me that she has (1) Destruction of private property, (2) unauthorized operation of a motor vehicle (3) 2 counts of distribution of a controlled substance (on probation for this, not been charged ofr this because of being on probation). Her social worker and the counselor at the group home are both giving her different stories about what will happen when she turns herself in. She has been told that the baby will be taken away and she is going to go to jail. She has also been told that she will be able to keep the baby. She doesn't know what to believe. She seems to believe that there should be no reason for the baby to be taken from her because she hasn't done anything that would be considered child neglect or harm. No one told her when her probation was over, and all she has done is run away.
I know that running away is considered a crime for juveniles, but will it be carried over if she turns herself in after she turns 18 in three months? I am really concerned about what might happen. Doesn't something have to be worth a certain amount of money (talking about destruction of property) in order for it to be considered a felony? She crashed a mo-ped into a tree and messed up the front of it. I think she had to pay $400 to the foster parent whose mo-ped she crashed. And the distribution charges come because she gave people some of her adderall at school. See, my sister tried to tell social services about the abuse that was going on in our house and no one believed her and kept making her stay at our abusive parents house (me, my sister, as well as many other siblings of mine were adopted by a family when we were young because our birth families were into drugs and abuse). Two other of my sisters tried to tell on our adoptive parents and no believed them either. Our parents were viewed as saints because of all the foster kids that they adopted and cared for. My sister, I guess because she is a kid and kids do stupid things, decided that the best way to leave our adoptive parents was if she gave adderall to kids at school, got caught, and went to jail--she figured that jail was better than being abused and the only way out because no one listened to us about our adoptive parents. Please Help!!!! Any information regarding juvenile laws and custody will be much appreciated. Even telling me the law so I can look it up myself will be helpful, thank you!!
I have an issue dealing with my little sister and I would greatly appreciate if anyone knows any information that could help me out with this situation. My sister is 17 years old (she'll be 18 in November) and has a five month old baby. She was in foster care until last summer when she got into trouble and kept running away and was then put into a group home for pregnant and deliquent females in the western part of the state. A little over two months ago she ran away from the group home with the baby and no one knows where she is.
My sister recently contacted me through a restricted phone number and was interested in turning herself in because she wants the baby to be able to get the shots he needs. She told me that she left the group home because of a number of reasons. 1. When she came home from school everyday she noticed scratches on her baby's face that were a result of the baby scratching his face with fingernails that were too long and the people in charge refused to cut (the people in charge of her home are supposed to watch the babies while the girls are in school during the day). 2. Her baby was sick sometimes and the people in charge wouldn't give the baby any medicine, so my sister would hide the medicine in her room (she got into trouble for that). 3. Her baby was crying late at night so she sat in her bed with him, comforting him, and the people in charge tried to say that she was suffocating him. My sister says that the people in charge treat her different than all of the other girls (she is the only white girl there) and are more strict and mean to her than the other girls in the home, constantly paying attention mainly to her, waiting for her only to screw up. I don't know, but that kind of sounds like racism to me. So, that's why my sister ran away.
My sister also has been told that she has four felonies on her record. She told me that she has (1) Destruction of private property, (2) unauthorized operation of a motor vehicle (3) 2 counts of distribution of a controlled substance (on probation for this, not been charged ofr this because of being on probation). Her social worker and the counselor at the group home are both giving her different stories about what will happen when she turns herself in. She has been told that the baby will be taken away and she is going to go to jail. She has also been told that she will be able to keep the baby. She doesn't know what to believe. She seems to believe that there should be no reason for the baby to be taken from her because she hasn't done anything that would be considered child neglect or harm. No one told her when her probation was over, and all she has done is run away.
I know that running away is considered a crime for juveniles, but will it be carried over if she turns herself in after she turns 18 in three months? I am really concerned about what might happen. Doesn't something have to be worth a certain amount of money (talking about destruction of property) in order for it to be considered a felony? She crashed a mo-ped into a tree and messed up the front of it. I think she had to pay $400 to the foster parent whose mo-ped she crashed. And the distribution charges come because she gave people some of her adderall at school. See, my sister tried to tell social services about the abuse that was going on in our house and no one believed her and kept making her stay at our abusive parents house (me, my sister, as well as many other siblings of mine were adopted by a family when we were young because our birth families were into drugs and abuse). Two other of my sisters tried to tell on our adoptive parents and no believed them either. Our parents were viewed as saints because of all the foster kids that they adopted and cared for. My sister, I guess because she is a kid and kids do stupid things, decided that the best way to leave our adoptive parents was if she gave adderall to kids at school, got caught, and went to jail--she figured that jail was better than being abused and the only way out because no one listened to us about our adoptive parents. Please Help!!!! Any information regarding juvenile laws and custody will be much appreciated. Even telling me the law so I can look it up myself will be helpful, thank you!!
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