The parents of a Black Virginia middle-school student are furious that their son was handcuffed and manhandled by school police because he was suspected of stealing a 65-cent carton of milk.
Graham Park Middle School student Ryan Turk tells Virginia’s WJLA-TV last Friday that he was accused of stealing a carton of milk when he went back to the lunch line to pick one up.
Ryan is in the free-lunch program, which allows him to get free milk.
An officer approached Ryan and handcuffed him, according to a report by Raw Story. The young student was taken to the principal’s office and searched for drugs.
“I yanked away from him, [and] I told him to get off of me because he’s not my dad,” Ryan said.
The student’s mother, Shamise Turk, tells WJLA-TV that “he was fidgety, kept pulling on the strings of his pants, and laughing when we were trying to talk to him and just wouldn’t talk.”
According to the news report, Ryan’s constant moving and yanking away from the officer was interpreted as disorderly conduct.
Police believed Ryan tried to conceal the milk carton and that is why they charged him with larceny.
His mother goes on to say:
“I’m angry, I’m frustrated, I’m mad. It just went too far. They are charging him with larceny, which I don’t have no understanding as to why he is being charged with larceny when he was entitled to that milk from the beginning.”
The school will reevaluate their decision to charge Ryan with larceny during an appeals process.
“He is at home because of 65 cents,” Shamise Turk told reporters.
The Prince William County School District said Ryan was suspended for the alleged disorderly conduct and using his cell phone. Ryan will appear in juvenile court because of the incident.