6-year-old Salecia Johnson was arrested and charged for throwing a tantrum at school earlier this month after allegedly throwing toys and books, breaking glass, and kicking over a shelf that injured the principal. Where they do that at? Creekside ElementarySchool in Milledgeville, Ga., apparently.
Salecia now says that due to the incident, she can’t sleep. Her father, Earnest Johnson, says that his daughter is now horrified by every police officer she sees. Police told the Associated Press that a zero-tolerance policy forces them to handcuff everyone, regardless of age. They also say that Johnson was never actually placed behind bars, as if that somehow lessens the trauma of being arrested as a 6-year-old.
At a press conference last Friday, Johnson’s family addressed their daughter’s arrest. Her father said they don’t condone her behavior at all, but couldn’t believe a 6-year-old was actually taken into custody and detained for an hour at an adult prison.
Earnest Johnson says that police tried to right their wrongs by dropping the charges. We get that sometimes little kids snap and misbehave, but what kind of world do we live in where 6-year olds are locked up for acting like 6-year-olds?
[via CBS Atlanta and The Washington Post]
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