Title: Matter of S L P A Youth

State: montana

Issuer: Montana Supreme Court

Document:

FILED
September 18 2007
DA 07-0250 st
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA,

2007 MT 241N

IN THE MATTER OF
SLP,
A Youth

 

APPEAL FROM: District Court of the Eighth Judicial District,
In and For the County of Cascade, Cause No, CDJ-06-283,
Honorable Kenneth R. Neill, Presiding Judge

COUNSEL OF RECORD:

For Appellant

 

Jim Wheelis, Chief Appellate Defender; Roberta R. Zenker, As
‘Appellant Defender, Helena, Montana

For Respondent

Hon. Mike McGrath, Attomey General; C. Mark Fowler, Assistant Attorney
General, Helena, Montana,

Brant S. Light, County Attomey; Matthew S. Robertson, Deputy County
Attorney, Great Falls, Montana

 

‘Submitted on Briefs: August 22, 2007
Decided: September 18, 2007

Filed:

Midd
Justice John Wamer delivered the Opinion of the Court

41 Pursuant to Section 1, Paragraph 3(d(v), Montana Supreme Court 1996 Internal
‘Operating Rules, as amended in 2003, the following memorandum decision shall notbe cited
‘as precedent. It shall be filed as a public document with the Clerk of the Supreme Court and
its case ttle, Supreme Court cause number and disposition shall be included in this Court's
quarterly list of noncitable cases published in the Pacific Reporter and Montana Reports.

{2 Appellant S.L-P. appeals from a disposition of the Eighth Judicial Youth Court

 

‘Cascade County (Youth Court) evoking a consent adjustment and committing her toa group
youth home until the age of eighteen.

{8 OnNovember 16, 2006, pursuant to the informal proceeding provisions of the Youth
Court Act, the State, S.L.P. and her parents entered into a “Consent Adjustment without

Petition.” Section 4-5-1302, MCA. S.L-P. violated the terms of the consent adjustment and

 

the State filed a petition to revoke S.L.P.'s adjustment under § 41-5-1512, MCA. S.LP.
‘admitted the alleged violations and on February 13, 2007, the Youth Court conducted a
dispositional hearing. The Youth Court found S.L.P. was a delinquent youth as defined in §
41-5-103(11), MCA, ordered her to be placed on formal probation for six months, and
committed her to the Evergreen Group Home until the age ofeighteen. This appeal followed.
{4 This Court reviews for correctness a youth court's interpretation and application of the
‘Youth Court Act. In re K.D.K., 2006 MT 187, § 14, 333 Mont. 100, § 14, 141 P.34 1212, 4

14
{5 The State concedes that under the facts and circumstances of this case, the Youth
Court erred in finding S.L.P. a delinquent youth, In order to adjudicate a youth a delinquent,
the State must file @ formal petition alleging such. Section 41-5-1401, MCA. In this,
instance, no formal petition was filed.

{6 Therefore, we vacate the dispositional order of February 27, 2006, and remand this
case to the Eighth Judicial District Youth Court for disposition.

{7 __ Reversed and remanded for proceedings consistent with this Opinion.

 

Justices