A judge who demanded a 15-year-old girl wear prison garb and handcuffs because she kept falling asleep has been demoted for his "unacceptable" actions.
Detroit Judge Kenneth King, who was temporarily removed from the bench in August, went from overseeing major felonies to handling speeding tickets and the like. His attorney, Todd Perkins, told the Associated Press his client is fine with the reassignment.
"He truly understands and wholeheartedly embraces the concept of teamwork," Perkins said.
A nonprofit hosted the students' field trip to King's courtroom in August. While the trip was being live streamed, King called out the girl for falling asleep and having a bad attitude. "It was my version of 'Scared Straight,'" King claimed.
After she changed and stood in front of her peers in handcuffs, King then threatened the girl with a night in the juvenile detention center.
"Was I really going to do that? Probably not. Could I have? Probably so, but that's not what I want to do to a kid who's there on a field trip," King told WXYZ Detroit.
King apologized to the girl but stands by his actions. He asserted he was "trying to teach the teenager a lesson on behavior and respect in court."
The nonprofit's chairperson said in a statement that the judge's "methods were unacceptable" and the teen girl was traumatized by his "unnecessary disciplinary treatment and scolding."
The girl's mother, Latoreya Till, filed a lawsuit seeking more than $75,000 for "inflicting fear and severe emotional distress." She added her daughter may have been tired because they don't have a permanent address.
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