A Detroit 36th District Court Judge has been temporarily removed from his duties after a 16-year-old girl on a field trip was handcuffed and made to wear a jail uniform after falling asleep in the courtroom.
“Following the recent incident in which Judge Kenneth J. King ordered a minor student to be handcuffed and detained for appearing to fall asleep in his courtroom, we have conducted a swift and thorough internal investigation. Based on our findings, we are implementing the following immediate actions to prevent any future occurrences of this nature: 1. Judge King has been temporarily removed from his docket. 2. Judge King will undergo the necessary training to address the underlying issues that contributed to this incident,” the court said in a statement.
The incident occurred during a visit organized by The Greening of Detroit, a nonprofit dedicated to youth education and community engagement. The students were visiting the court to learn about the legal system.
The mother of the 15-year-old, Latoreya Till, says they do not have a permanent residence and she doesn’t have a bed to sleep on all the time.
Latoreya says her daughter is has never had problems in school and has been a star student.
Judge King had the teen handcuffed and dressed in a jail uniform. He says he didn’t like her attitude. A defense attorney who was already in the court for another case even represented her.
“You fall asleep in my courtroom one more time, I’m gonna put you in back, understood?” Judge Kenneth King told the sleeping teenager.
The judge then let her peers decide whether she should be sent to a juvenile detention center..
