Florida mom films 10-year-old
autistic son's arrest at school. Then he spent the night in jail.
By
Teresa Welch, Miami Herald
Tuesday,
April 18, 2017 5:15pm
A
Florida mother filmed the arrest of her 10-year-old son as school resource
deputies handcuffed him and took him away.
The boy, who has autism, is accused of battery of a
school employee in Okeechobee County because he kicked a teacher last November. The
offense is a third-degree felony.
His mother Luanne Haygood said her son shouldn't have
been arrested.
"It was because of his autism that spurred this
incident," Haygood told WPTV. "And he was arrested for that."
In the video, which Haygood recorded on her cell phone,
her son John Benji Haygood is heard as officers place handcuffs on his wrists.
"I don't want to be touched. Please don't touch
me," the boy says in the video. "I don't know what's going on."
Not wanting to be touched can be a symptom of autism,
according to Autism
Speaks.
Haygood said watching her son be cuffed and put in a law
enforcement vehicle "broke her heart." She said the 10-year-old boy
then spent the night at a juvenile facility in Fort Pierce.
Although the incident took place last year, deputies said
they couldn't serve the arrest paperwork until last week.
Haygood said her son had prior behavioral issues because
of his autism, but said that there needs to be a different way to deal with
him.
"Unfortunately, instead of treating or accommodating
we arrest because we don't know what else to do," Haygood said.
The sheriff's office and prosecutors told WWLP that they
weren't aware the 10-year-old had autism, and the state attorney said it will
be taken into consideration as they look at the case.
A Florida mother recorded video of her 10-year-old
autistic son being arrested for kicking a school employee. Miami Herald photo.
Teachers
Rhonda Weingarten
was the president of the United
Federation of Teachers, is the president of the American Federation of Teachers, and an overseer at the International Rescue Committee.
Note: Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the International Rescue Committee.
George Soros
was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Andrew Robertson
is an overseer at the International
Rescue Committee, and a director at Autism
Speaks.
Tom
Brokaw is an overseer at the International
Rescue Committee, and was an anchor for the NBC Nightly News.
Who Rescued Who: Dog Helps Boy with Autism Find His Voice
- NBC Nightly News
Jeff
Zucker was an executive producer for the NBC Nightly News, the president & CEO for NBCUniversal, and is married to Caryn N. Zucker.
Robert C. Wright
was the chairman for NBCUniversal,
and is a co-founder for Autism Speaks.
Tommy
Hilfiger Group is a director at Autism
Speaks.
Tommy Hilfiger
is the founder of the Tommy Hilfiger
Group, and was a director at the Fresh
Air Fund.
Caryn N. Zucker
was a director at the Fresh Air Fund,
and is married to Jeff Zucker.
Jeff
Zucker is married to Caryn N. Zucker,
was an executive producer for the NBC
Nightly News, and the president & CEO for NBCUniversal.
Robert C. Wright
was the chairman for NBCUniversal, married
to Suzanne W. Wright, and is a co-founder
for Autism Speaks.
Suzanne W. Wright
was married to Robert C. Wright, and
a co-founder for Autism Speaks.
Tom
Brokaw was an anchor for the NBC
Nightly News, and is an overseer at the International Rescue Committee.
Andrew Robertson
is an overseer at the International
Rescue Committee, and a director at Autism
Speaks.
Rhonda Weingarten
is an overseer at the International
Rescue Committee, the president of the American
Federation of Teachers, and was the president of the United Federation of Teachers.
No comments:
Post a Comment