Judge Kenneth King suspended for handcuffing teenager

A judge in Detroit has reportedly been temporarily relieved of his duties after he handcuffed a young girl and forced her to wear a prison uniform during a recent school field trip, and the teen's mother has also spoken out.

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Court reacts to incident between Judge King and teen

As TSR previously reported, a field trip by the justice system ended with a 15-year-old girl in handcuffs and a prison uniform.

The incident occurred when Judge Kenneth King insisted on putting the teenager in a prison uniform and locking her in jail after she dozed off in his courtroom.

Judge King, however, claims that it was her “attitude” and not just her sleep that made him want to give her the real experience.

“I think maybe she should go to the youth detention center,” Judge King said. “Why are you disrespecting this court? You sleep in your bed at home, not in court.”

As a result, the chief judge of the 36th District Court in Detroit temporarily suspended Judge Kenneth King.

According to WXYZ, Chief Judge William McConico announced an internal investigation and stated that Judge King would undergo training to address the factors that led to his actions.

“We hope these steps will help reassure the public of the 36th Circuit Court's commitment to serving our community with integrity and fairness. The 36th Circuit Court, known as the 'People's Court,' remains firmly committed to providing access to justice in an environment free from intimidation or disrespect. Judge King's actions on August 13 do not reflect that commitment,” McConico said in a statement.

This is what happened between Judge King and Teen

The Detroit News reported that Judge King came under criticism after a live stream showed him reprimanding a 15-year-old for falling asleep in his courtroom.

The young girl visited his courtroom as part of a trip organized by the organization “Greening of Detroit”.

Speaking to 7 News Detroit, Judge Kenneth King explained that it was the teens' reaction to his warning that upset him, not their falling asleep.

Before the trial began, Judge King noticed the girl falling asleep and warned her that if she nodded off again, he would “put her in the back.” The Detroit judge then claimed that the teen had “struck him.”

“It wasn't so much that she fell asleep, because I have lawyers who fall asleep sometimes, so it's not a big deal. It was her whole demeanor and her whole demeanor that bothered me,” said the Detroit judge. “I wanted to get through to her, show her how serious this is and how to conduct yourself in a courtroom.”

Mother of a young girl reacts to the judge's measures

The viral incident between Judge King and the teenager has also prompted her mother to speak out.

On Wednesday, August 14, WXYZ spoke with Latoreya Hill, the girl's mother, about Judge King's disciplinary actions.

“Would you want someone to treat your child like that? Would you even treat your child like that?” Said Latoreya.

The media company announced that the name of the young girl Eva GoodmanHer mother, a single mother of two, enrolled Eva in a summer program run by the nonprofit organization Greening Detroit to keep her busy.

Latoreya Hill tearfully told WXYZ that her daughter fell asleep because her family had no permanent home and was struggling to make ends meet.

“To belittle her in front of the whole world and her friends, to make our situation worse for her. The fact that he said, 'Go home and get in your bed,' how do you know my baby has a home? How do you know my baby has a bed, her own bed to sleep in? She doesn't have that right now, so she was tired,” Hill said through tears.

Despite the backlash against Judge King, he stood by his decision to discipline Eva Goodman after she fell asleep, claiming his intention was to instill his own version of “fear and terror” in her.

“Do I have any reservations? Do I think I was ruthless in what I did? No, I don't, because I will do whatever it takes to reach these children and make sure they don't end up in front of me. That was my own version of fear and terror,” Judge King said.

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