In re K.L. CA2/8

FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS

For three or four days in late January 2012, then 14-year-old appellant K.L. was the invited house guest of Graciela Tinoco “living” with Tinoco and her 15-year-old son, Everardo. Around 9:00 or 10:00 a.m. on January 27, 2012, Tinoco returned home after dropping off her daughters at school. K.L., who had slept the previous night in Everardo‟s bedroom, had not yet left for school. Tinoco was surprised to find K.L. still at home. She testified, “I found him inside the house, but since he‟d spend the night there, I asked him, [K.L.] what are you doing here. Why aren‟t you in school. [¶] He didn‟t answer. He just closed the door. He locked – he locked it, and I said, well who is there then. He said „It‟s [K.L.], I‟m changing.‟ ” A few moments later, K.L. emerged from the bedroom and left the house. Tinoco looked inside the bedroom and saw that dresser drawers containing clothes were open. Because K.L. had been wearing the same clothes for “many days,” Tinoco assumed he had been looking for socks.1 Apart from the drawers, nothing in the room was otherwise amiss or missing. Tinoco testified, “Q. When you said that you saw him in the bedroom one day and he was –…