The article didn't specify exactly how long, but it was at least a week based on what I can remember.

I did some kid sitting around that age, and more later on in my teens. 14 is such a transitional age. I said elsewhere that I've never met a 14yr old that should be left I'm charge for more than a weekend at the most, and that's because there's just so much going on in our heads around then, and the most significant range of development of inhibition and self discipline are just cranking up rather than hitting stride like it does just a year or two later.

But an almost 15 year old is also pretty different developmentally from a kid that just hit 14.

That's why I'm not in favor of making this a criminal thing, it's more of a social services issue. Find out the details, see if things really were fine (and the kid did handle the emergency exactly how they should have). Then give the family enough help so it isn't even a thing where the kid would be in that situation again

I believe it can be, just haven't run across it myself