SAFFORD – Last Wednesday, the Safford Middle School contacted the school resource officer in regards to a juvenile student who had become disruptive in a class. Apparently, the juvenile has a history of leaving campus without permission to avoid the consequences of his actions. The student had been taken to the principal’s office for not listening to the teacher’s aide while the class teacher was in a meeting. The principal sent the juvenile back to class when the teacher was back in the room. The teacher told the student that he would have to do his work or he would be sent home. However, the student refused to do anything in class, and was then asked to sit outside to calm down, relax and return, ready to do his work.
The student then began kicking the exterior wall to the class room and was then told by the teacher he needed to go to the principal’s office because he was being disruptive to the class. The juvenile stated he was not going to the principal’s office and left campus on foot. The principal and vice principal were contacted by the teacher. The school was unable to contact the juvenile’s mother or grandparents.
School officials followed the student out to the streets to make sure he didn’t get injured. They notified the school resource officer of the direction the juvenile was heading. The student was reportedly yelling, cursing, and being verbally abusive toward the principal and vice principal, telling them to leave him alone. The school resource officer told them to leave him alone for their own protection. They lost contact with the juvenile on the corner of 5th Avenue and 4 Street and he was not found for the rest of the school day.
When school was let out later that afternoon, the principal saw the juvenile across the street, waiting for his friends to get out of school. The principal began to approach the juvenile to tell him he needed to leave the school campus, at which that time the juvenile was reportedly yelling profanities at the principal in front of the other students as they were leaving school.
Authorities were asked to detain the juvenile and inform him that he is trespassed from the school. When the juvenile saw the police in the area, he began to run. Officers were able to corner him and prevent him from running. The juvenile actively resisted by pulling away and yelling profanities while he was being placed into handcuffs. He was placed in the back of a patrol vehicle due to the disturbance in the area while students were walking home from school.
The school resource officer transported the juvenile to Probation and they authorized detention for the safety of the community.
