How long after and offense does the da have to file a Delinquent petition?

Contact the county in which you have the question. There is a code that says the D.A. after interviewing certain inviduals decides whether to move forward with a delinquency petition.  There may be a reasonableness standard.

http://www.districtattorneyprater.com/t14-home

 Section 7303-1.3 - Preliminary Inquiries - Juvenile Proceeding Petition - Filing - Title - Contents
Cite as: O.S. §, __ __

A. The court may provide by rule who shall make a preliminary inquiry to determine whether the interests of the public or of the child who is within the purview of the Oklahoma Juvenile Code require that further court action be taken. Provided, that where intake is to be provided by the Department of Juvenile Justice under contract with the Supreme Court, or under the provision of rules issued by the Supreme Court, the preliminary inquiry shall follow the uniform contractual procedures as agreed to by the Supreme Court and the Department. If it is determined by the preliminary inquiry that no further action be taken and if agreed to by the district attorney, the person or the court may make such informal adjustment as is practicable without a petition.

B. A petition in a juvenile proceeding may be filed by the district attorney to determine if further action is necessary. The proceeding shall be entitled "In the matter of ____________, an alleged (delinquent) or (a child alleged to be in need of supervision)".

The petition shall be verified and may be upon information and belief. It shall set forth:

1. With particularity facts which bring the child within the purview of the Oklahoma Juvenile Code;

2. The name, age and residence of the child;

3. The names and residences of the parents of the child;

4. The name and residence of the legal guardian of the child, if applicable;

5. The name and residence of the person or persons having custody or control of the child;

6. The name and residence of the nearest known relative, if no parent or guardian can be found;

7. The relief requested; and

8. The specific federal law, state law or municipal ordinance under which the child is charged, and an endorsement of witnesses intended to be called by the petitioner, where the child is sought to be adjudged a delinquent child.

If a termination of parental rights is desired, it must be stated in the petition and summons, and if an order for the payment of funds for the care and maintenance of the child is desired, it must be stated in the petition and summons. If any of the facts herein required are not known by the petitioner, the petition shall so state, along with the reasons why the facts are not known to the petitioner.

C. A petition alleging a child to be a minor in need of treatment shall be filed by a district attorney pursuant to the Inpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment of Minors Act.

D. A copy of the petition shall be attached to and delivered with the summons.

E. A district attorney may defer filing a petition alleging a child to be delinquent or in need of supervision for a period of up to six (6) months if the child participates in a teen court program, a graduated sanctions program, a first-time offender program, as defined in Section 7303-4.6 of this title, or such other program as may be approved by the juvenile court and the district attorney. If the child successfully completes the program, the district attorney shall not file the petition. If the district attorney defers filing a petition pursuant to this subsection, the deferral agreement may require the child to pay a fee equal to no more than what the court costs would have been had a petition been filed. The juvenile shall remit the fee directly to the agency responsible for the monitoring and supervision of the juvenile. If the supervising agency is a juvenile bureau, then the fee shall be remitted to a revolving fund of the county in which the juvenile bureau is located to be designated the "Juvenile Deferral Fee Revolving Fund" and shall be used by the juvenile bureau to defray costs for the operation of the juvenile bureau. In those counties without juvenile bureaus and in which the Office of Juvenile Affairs or one of their contracting agencies provides the monitoring and supervision of the juvenile, the fee shall be paid directly to the Office of Juvenile Affairs and shall be used to defray the costs for the operation of the Office of Juvenile Affairs. The records of a case for which a petition is not filed shall be subject to the provisions of Article VII of the Oklahoma Juvenile Code.

Chapter 73 - Oklahoma Juvenile Code
        Section 7303-4.6 - Order of Adjudication - Court May Defer Delinquency Proceedings - Teen Court Program
Cite as: O.S. §, __ __

A. If the court finds that the allegations of a petition alleging a child to be delinquent or in need of supervision are supported by the evidence, the court shall sustain the petition, and shall make an order of adjudication setting forth whether the child is delinquent or in need of supervision and shall adjudge the child as a ward of the court.

B. A court may defer delinquency adjudication proceedings or proceedings to determine if a child is in need of supervision for one hundred eighty (180) days if the child:

1. Is alleged to have committed or attempted to commit a delinquent offense that if committed by an adult would be a misdemeanor or that if committed by an adult would be grand larceny of property valued at One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) or less;

2. Waives the privilege against self-incrimination and testifies, under oath, that the allegations are true;

3. Has not been previously adjudicated a delinquent; and

4. Presents to the court an oral or written request to attend a Teen Court program or graduated sanctions program.

C. A court may defer delinquency adjudication proceedings for the duration of the juvenile drug court program if the child is participating in such a program.

D. The Teen Court program, graduated sanctions program, or juvenile drug court must be approved by the court.

E. The court shall dismiss the case with prejudice at the conclusion of the deferral period if the child presents satisfactory evidence that the Teen Court program, graduated sanctions program or a juvenile drug court has been successfully completed.

F. The court may require a child who requests a Teen Court program to pay a fee, as determined by the court, not to exceed Twenty Dollars ($20.00) to cover the costs of administration. The fee shall be deposited in the court clerk's official depository account. Eighty percent (80%) of the costs so paid shall be distributed to the organization sponsoring the Teen Court to be used for Teen Court operating expenses. The remaining twenty percent (20%) of the cost shall be paid by the court clerk to the court fund.

G. A court may defer delinquency proceedings or proceedings to determine if a child is in need of supervision for one hundred eighty (180) days for any child that has not been previously adjudicated delinquent, if the child and, if required by the court, the parent or legal guardian of the child agree to participate in an alternative diversion program for first-time offenders that has been approved by the court. The court shall dismiss the case with prejudice at the conclusion of the deferral period if the child presents satisfactory evidence that the alternative diversion program for first-time offenders has been successfully completed. The records of a case dismissed pursuant to this subsection shall be subject to the provisions of Article VII of the Oklahoma Juvenile Code.

H. A court may defer delinquency proceedings for one hundred eighty (180) days for any child that has not been previously adjudicated delinquent, if the child agrees to participate in a counseling program that has been approved by the court. The court shall dismiss the case with prejudice at the conclusion of the deferral period if the child presents satisfactory evidence that the counseling program has been successfully completed. The records of a case dismissed pursuant to this subsection shall be subject to the provisions of Article VII of the Oklahoma Juvenile Code.

I. As used in this section:

1. "Alternative diversion programs for first-time offenders" means programs for juveniles who have been identified by law enforcement personnel, the district attorney, or the court as having committed acts which are not serious enough to warrant adjudication through the juvenile court process, but which do indicate a need for intervention to prevent further development toward juvenile delinquency. The program shall be administered, pursuant to contact with the Department of Juvenile Justice, by organizations designated as youth services agencies by law;

2. "Graduated sanctions program" means a program administered by the Office of Juvenile Affairs as defined in Section 7301-1.3 of this title or as otherwise approved by the court;

3. "Juvenile drug court", "juvenile drug court program" or "program" means a highly structured judicial intervention process for substance abuse treatment of eligible juveniles as set forth in Section 7303-5.5 of this title;

4. "Supervising staff" means a community provider assigned to monitor juveniles in the program, a state or local agency representative or a certified treatment provider participating in the program, or a person designated by the judge to perform drug court investigations; and

5. "Teen Court program" means a program which provides an alternative judicial forum for cases involving juvenile offenders, in which teenage participants, under the supervision of an adult coordinator, may serve in various capacities within the courtroom, including jurors, lawyers, bailiffs and judges. Such program also may include participation by volunteer adult attorneys. The Teen Court hears cases involving juvenile offenders who are referred to the Teen Court by the district attorney or the district court and assesses sentences such as participation in community work projects, counseling or rehabilitation programs.

      Section 7303-1.4 - Petition Filed and Summons Issued within 5 Judicial Days from Assumption of Custody - Necessary Findings - Responsible Adult
Cite as: O.S. §, __ __

A. If a child has been taken into custody pursuant to the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Code before a petition has been filed, a petition shall be filed and a summons issued within five (5) judicial days from the date of such assumption of custody, or custody of the child shall be relinquished to the child's parent, legal guardian, legal custodian, or other responsible adult, unless otherwise provided for in the Oklahoma Juvenile Code.

B. No order of the court providing for the initial or continued removal of a child alleged or adjudicated delinquent or in need of supervision from the child’s home shall be entered unless the court finds that the continuation of the child in the home of the child is contrary to the welfare of the child. The order shall include either:

1. A determination as to whether or not reasonable efforts have been made to prevent the need for the removal of the child from the home or, as appropriate, reasonable efforts have been made to provide for the return of the child to the home; or

2. A determination as to whether or not an absence of efforts to prevent the removal of the child from the home is reasonable upon consideration of the family circumstances, the safety of the child and the protection of the public; or

3. A determination that reasonable efforts to prevent the removal of the child from the home or to reunify the child and family are not required because:

a. a court of competent jurisdiction has determined that the parent has subjected the child to one of the following aggravated circumstances: abandonment, torture, chronic abuse, sexual abuse or chronic, life-threatening neglect of the child,

b. a court of competent jurisdiction has determined that the parent has been convicted of one of the following:

(1) murder of another child of the parent,

(2) voluntary manslaughter of another child of the parent,

(3) aiding or abetting, attempting, conspiring, or soliciting to commit such a murder or such a voluntary manslaughter, or

(4) a felony assault that results in serious bodily injury to the child or another child of the parent, or

c. the parental rights of the parent with respect to a sibling have been terminated involuntarily.

C. For purposes of this section and Sections 7303-1.1 and 7303-1.2 of this title, "responsible adult" means a stepparent, foster parent, person related to the juvenile in any manner who is eighteen (18) years of age or older, or any person having an obligation and authority to care for or safeguard the juvenile in another person's absence who is eighteen (18) years of age or older.