A 14-YEAR-OLD runaway child who resists returning to her home in South Carolina must show that going back would impose an imminent risk to her life or health, a Family Court judge in Orange County has ruled. The burden of proof for such a case is not the “best interests of the child,” which is the usual standard in custody matters, the judge said.
Family Court Judge Debra J. Kiedaisch will conduct a telephone conference Thursday with a Kershaw County (South Carolina) Family Court judge, county social services officials from New York and South Carolina, 14-year-old Stacey B. and her parents in South Carolina to explore her allegations that she is afraid to return home because of adult drug users in her father’s household.
