Boy accused of kicking teacher
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A judge threw out a felony case against an eight-year-old boy accused of kicking his teacher.
The boy, a second-grader who stands about four feet tall and weighs 60 pounds, was accused of kicking his King Elementary School teacher, Loretta Santos, in November as she attempted to remove him from the classroom for misbehaviour. On Monday, Jefferson District Judge Judith Bartholomew threw out the felony assault charge after Greta Noe, the youth's lawyer, discussed the case with prosecutors.
Santos, who was not injured, declined to comment. Jefferson County schools spokeswoman Lauren Roberts said the teacher decided she didn't want to press charges but that her wishes somehow didn't get communicated to the court before Monday's hearing.
The boy, whose name was not made public because of his age, suffers from attention deficit disorder. He was charged under a 2002 law that makes injuring or attempting to injure a school employee a felony.
The legislator who sponsored the bill, state Senator Ray Jones, called the case ridiculous.
"I don't envision an eight-year-old who was throwing a temper tantrum as someone who ought to be charged with a felony," Jones said. "That sounds like something that should have been handled in-house."
The bill was triggered by an incident in which a teenage boy slugged a teacher in the mouth, seriously injuring him, Jones said, adding he also was concerned by reports of irate parents confronting teachers.
One expert had said that at his age, the boy probably would have received probation if he had been convicted
the world we live is getting sillier and sillier as the years go by.
