Ten-Year-Old's Unusual Punishment: Probation and Book Report for Urinating in Public
In an unusual turn of events, a 10-year-old boy from Tate County, Mississippi, has been handed probation and assigned a book report for urinating in public by the local juvenile court. According to his family's attorney, Carlos, the incident will not be documented in his juvenile record, as reported by CNN.
Carlos asserted that his client was neither charged with a crime nor deemed a supervision-requiring individual and was not even brought to court. Despite this, the boy was arrested and transported to the Senatobia Police Department due to lack of public restrooms on the private property near his mother's vehicle, as previously reported by CNN.
The boy was caught urinating on private property near his mother's vehicle in August, leading to his arrest. His mother, LaTonya Eason, said at a press conference in September that an officer passing by discovered her son and pulled over, eventually entering the store himself to look for her. Eason stated that she had warned her son about his behavior and the officer seemed satisfied with the situation.
According to Eason, four additional officers from Senatobia, including a lieutenant, later arrived, leading to her son's arrest, transportation to a police cruiser, and eventual transportation to the police station. At the time, Moore told CNN that the 10-year-old was "disturbed" and now suffers from fear of the police, with plans to seek counseling.
The officer who arrested the boy was dismissed from his position about ten days after the incident. The Senatobia Police Department did not disclose the officer's name. In a statement, the police department said the decision of the officer violated written policies and previous training regarding handling such situations.
An internal investigation was launched following the incident, resulting in the dismissal of one of the officers involved and disciplinary measures taken against other officers. The department also announced plans to conduct department-wide youth training as part of its annual regimen.
Moore has expressed expectations of future measures in light of the situation. Senatobia is located in northern Mississippi, less than 30 miles south of the Tennessee state border.
(Enrichment Data: It's worth noting that the scenario described does not align with standard legal procedures or typical outcomes for a 10-year-old child in Mississippi. Usually, a child of that age would not be given probation or a book report for urinating in public without being found guilty or deemed in need of supervision.)
