Prosecutor Finally Admits It Was Wrong To Criminally Charge A 10-Year-Old For Playing Dodgeball

10 year old Bryce faced aggravated assault charges – all because he hit a white kid with a ball while they were playing dodgeball.

After a public outcry, all the charges were dropped. However Maria Miller, assistant prosecuting attorney at the Wayne County Prosecutor’s office in Michigan, defended the charges.

Now lead prosecutor Kym Worthy has admitted charges were a mistake.

According to Yahoo, Worthy said in a statement, “The charge in this case was a mistake in judgment by this office, even though it was rectified by permanently dismissing the case on July 31, 2019, prior to the first scheduled court proceeding.”

She continued, “To be clear, my office will not be refiling this petition, nor was it ever the intent of our office to do so.”

“I have taken this extremely seriously, and concrete steps have already been made. I am currently reviewing the policies and procedures of our Juvenile Division and re-enforcing internal measures to prevent a similar matter from occurring in the future.” 

But Worthy made no mention of Maria Miller, who made defiant comments in an offensive press release on July 31. 

Bryce’s story went viral after his mother posted on Facebook for help with their legal fees.

Cameishi Triplett Lindley wrote in a Facebook fundraising post that her son was suspended from Eriksson Elementary School in Canton Township, Michigan.

 

Bryce allegedly threw a ball at another child during a game of dodgeball.He was then charged with aggravated assault over the April 29 incident.

He allegedly threw the ball during the game which resulted in the other student having a concussion. Bryce was later suspended from school. 

“After meeting with the Principal about why Bryce was suspended while the other students who fully participated in this game were not, the Principal disclosed that the injured student has a pre-existing condition,” Lindley wrote on Facebook.

Bryce’s mom was told the student had chronic brain stem infliction.

“Clearly, this student should not have been playing a physical contact sport,” she wrote. But matters soon turned extremely serious for Lindely and her son.

Bryce was being charged with aggravated assault in the 3rd Circuit Juvenile Court in Detroit, Michigan.

The mother of the boy who was hit with the ball, told WXYZ-TV her son had been hit before. She said she reported what happened to the school in in mid-April.

“My son was hit twice in the face with a ball previously due to this. The child apologized to my son and my son said ‘Mom, it’s OK, we’re still going to be friends,’” the mother, who remained anonymous, told the station. However, the incident on April 29th was the final straw, she said. She claims she is worried for her child’s safety. 

Lindley said she was not aware of any of the previous incidents. But insists problems like this should be solved in the classroom — not the courtroom