x2222

 

I'm 16.

 

I agree - IF they were to sell the vehicle they would be have to forge the signature and would be in violation of the law, but as of yet that hasn't happened. He is a minor and his parents are legally responsible for his actions until he becomes an adult or a court of law relieves them of that responsibility. There are very few exceptions to this, and I don't think this situation would qualify as one. Having the title in their possession or threatening to sell the vehicle is not in violation of any law and is within their legal rights as his parents. It's no different than a parent taking the keys away as a disiplinary action. If he were 18 it would be a different story, but he isn't. He is a minor and bound by the (reasonable) rules his parents apply. His parents possessing the title of a vehicle until he turns 18 would not be viewed as unreasonable by any law enforcement agency. The only exception would be if he was selling the vehicle. No matter how many times you add an "IF" it does not change the facts. I never said that I agree with what his parents are doing, but throwing fuel on the fire certainly isn't a positive way to resolve it. If anything it will just make matters worse. If he is indeed in an abusive situation he has several options at his disposal to remedy the situation, but his parents retaining the title to a vehicle and threatning to sell it is not abuse nor is it in violation of any law. On the other hand, he has admitted on a public forum to the crime of theft. Who do you think the authorities would side with if they were brought into it? The law doesn't operate on "IF" scenarios. Like Joe Friday said: "Just the facts, maam":

FACT: A parent retaining the title of a vehicle of a minor child is not in violation of any law.
FACT: Threatening to sell the vehicle is not in violation of any law.
FACT: He has admitted to the crime of theft.

You do the math...then explain to me how his actions are going to resolve the situation in a positive manner.

Some of you mention that his parents should show some respect towards him...and I agree. What you're failing to recognize is that respect is earned. If you want respect you must also be willing to give it. Do you really think he is going to earn respect from his parents by stealing?

 

Oh, yeah, I'm a big felon!!! GASP! I stole my own mail!! OH NOES!!!!

In this state (pretty sure the whole country), if there is mail adressed to you, even if you're a minor it is considered theft if someone hides it from you. The envelope containing the title was addressed to me, and theoretically, I could press charges my parents for taking it and hiding it. You have the whole situation flip-flopped, man.

And it's no respect (or lack thereof) thing, they just hate me. I was beaten with a horse lead for catching a cold. Beaten. Then, may I point out, I was thrown. Literally picked up and tossed around like a football. After that the police were called. I was extremely thankful, thinking that wow, the police came and will save me! Wrong! My parents are very close friends of the corrupt cops. They chewed me out on the front porch, then left me at the mercy of my parents again. Another time I was chased out of the house with my mother throwing things at me. I, of course, stayed out because she told me to leave. It was premeditated because she picked my keys up, then intentionally started the fight. I didn't know she had the keys until I tried leaving. I had to walk across town, in the dead of night, freezing with no shirt, only to stay at some stranger's house for the rest of the night. Then she called the cops, conveniently leaving out the details of her throwing stuff, and only telling them that I stormed out the door and left. So there are no legal options for me in the abuse situation. Another time, pretty much the same thing happened except it was daytime. I was kicked out because all my pants were gone and I refused to go to school in my pajamas. My pants, as it turned out, were in the washing machine and would've been done soon, but Dad had to freak out and get violent, chasing me around. I had a chance to get away, and I did- I sprinted and hid in bushes while my dad chased me with his motorcycle. I was finally able to lose him and get my car, which my mom took several blocks from my house, and I left town. After that, I decided to give them another chance and returned after a while. They're pushing their chance. So don't even start to do a "maybe his parents are correcting his behavior" argument, because no such thing is occuring, they're just sadists.

 

Dude, calm down. Seriously. I'm not trying to get you worked up here. I see your points, but I think that you're more or less trying to say play by the rules. If his parents aren't doing so then its not fair to expect him to.

Fact: It is his property with his name on it, they actually cannot retain the title unless he asks them to hold it for him.
Fact: It is not within their legal rights to sell his vehicle since it does not belong to them. (I get it, they're just threatening at this point)
Fact: His parents stole his mail.
Fact: Minimum 90 days in jail for that violation and/or a fine (unless laws have been changed recently in the last year since I took Intro to Federal Law).
Fact: They would have to proove that he "stole" his own property from them, which would entail them admitting to the police that they tampered with his mail. Again, which is 90 days in jail unless my memory is recalling falsely.

You do the math and tell me how his parents actions are going to resolve the situation in a positive manner.

And do you think his parents are going to earn his respect by stealing from him? Monkey see, monkey do. Lead by example. Etc etc etc. I agree with a lot of what you're saying, but in this case I feel as though that advice should be given to the parents.

 

I think the original question about the title has been answered so I don't see a need to continue this thread.

To JTalley, perhaps it's time to talk to some relatives about your overall living situation. If no relatives, then maybe a trusted adult.

 

My parents and I got into a fight. They had my money (that I worked hard for by fixing a car), with no intention of giving it back. I started demanding it from them, and they said I could get it back only if I went to get them some food. I did, but while I was gone, they jacked my computer up and lost a lot of things I was working on at the time. So I got upset, and they started trying to start a brawl. I left and spent the night in my car at Wal-Mart. I came back the next day with a friend of mine, and my dad showed up screaming and threatening me because I accidentally left one of his screwdrivers in the car I worked on. My mom told my friend to go away and made me go inside. My friend lives several miles from my house, so he just went up the street a bit and waited. My mom and dad started screaming at me. My mom said that I am "not welcome in her home" (exact quote). My dad said that I wasn't to go anywhere. Me and my friend started walking around the block. Mom wouldn't let me in. Dad left (he doesn't live with Mom). Eventually, my friend got tired of sitting around in the middle of a fight, so he asked me to take him home. I took him home and stayed there, hoping all this would end. When I tried calling Dad to let him know I was ok, and where I was, he got enraged. He threatened to call the cops on me, etc, so I just hung up and hid for a while, then came back to my friend's house. I stayed the night there, and in the morning, I tried to call them again to work it out. They do this stuff all the time, so I said I wanted to move out. Mom said I could move out if I brought my car back to the house. And it is mine, the title is in my name, my name only. My friend is holding the title for safety, and the officials who looked at it agree that it is mine. So I decided to give it up. When I reached the house, Mom had left. Me and my friend rode together in the car, my friend's dad followed us to be sure everything went ok. Since Mom wasn't home, I just got my stuff and started to leave. My sister said she had called the cops, so we had to fly out of there. She didn't, I later discovered. So the three of us went to DHS and told them the whole story, and they started a case. They said to call my mom one more time, and get her permission to stay with my friend while they worked on everything. My friend's phone was messed up, and I my phone isn't in service, I just carry it for the camera. So we couldn't call her at the moment. We told my friend's dad that we were going to grab some lunch, and we would be back at his house so we could call her. Well, at McDonalds, my friend was looking at my map collection. He couldn't get it folded right, so I told him to toss it in the seat and I could fold it up later. Bad move. About a mile down the road, my dad is right next to us, honking and angrily gesturing us to pull over. I gunned it. After a long high speed chase, I got caught behind a car, and couldn't go anywhere. My dad rammed us with his truck and bent the tailgate nearly in half and completely smashed the back window out. (I got pics but I can't get them off my phone right now, I'm at the library since I can't use my own computer) I couldn't get around the car, and it wouldn't go, so I told my friend to lock the doors. I thought the back doors were locked. They weren't. My dad jumped out immediately after impact, and next thing I know, he was between the seats reaching for my neck. I started flailing my hands at him trying to get him off, and I started hollering and honking for help. The car in front of us took off, and all the people around us just stared with their mouths open. Finally, he went back, and I floored it- but he took the keys and turned off the car. My friend was in shock, and I told him several times to run. We took off running to the police station. Still, nobody was helping, not even a truck nearby. When we get to the police station, it's locked, so I picked up the phone outside and got hold of someone, and he sent two squad cars over after I told him about the chase and the wreck. They got there and took us back to the scene, and they wouldn't let us out of the car. Finally they did, but when I started taking pictures of my car to show in court, they made me get back in and they locked me up. I was freaking out, and since my throat was sore, I asked for some water. He said "does it look like I got a water fountain in my car?" all angrily. He later threatened to tase me for no reason. Then they got my parents, who pretended to be the perfect, concerned parents that they aren't. They sent us and a cop to a room where the cop proceeded to make fat jokes about me. My parents made up a story, and they wouldn't believe me or my friend about what really happened. I figured the smashed car would be evidence enough. They're friends with Dad. The cop said that him hitting me was an accident, and I had two options- press charges on him, and they would send me to juvie, or I could agree to work it out and move in with Dad. Of course, I agreed to work it out. Dad's getting me a tarp. What do I do about this?

 

Go buy a little tape recorder... keep it in pocket. EVIDENCE...

Press charges, move out, do what you gotta do.

 

That's the thing- the police are protecting him. I tried to move out, ^ that's what happened.

 

*I am combining your two threads concerning your family issues.*