Another version of the story.
The special education students used pencil and red crayon to draw primitive stick figure scenes on scrap paper that showed a 10-year-old classmate being stabbed and hung, police said.
"The officer found they were drawing these pictures for the sole purpose of intimidating and scaring the victim," said Ocala Police Sgt. Russ Kern.
The boy depicted in the drawings told his teacher, who took the sketches and contacted the school dean, Marty Clifford. Clifford called police, who arrested the boys after consulting with the State Attorney's Office.
[...]
Ocala police said they stand behind the decision to arrest the children.
"When an adult or even myself look at the picture looked at it at first I was thinking there is really not much to the picture or I would not be that scared by the picture those children drew," Ocala police spokesman Russ Kearn said. "However, we have to put ourselves in his mind and that's the bottom line here. It is his well-being and the way he perceived that picture to be. It actually put him in extreme fear and he was in fear for his life."
Emphasis added.
This is so messed up on so many levels. First, special education students are different from other students - that's why they have a different curriculum, etc. Of course, I have no idea how different these students were, but there should have been process to address this that didn't involve the police. Second, about half of the country would be locked up if someone had to be arrested every time a 10 year old was in "extreme fear" from a bully in school.
Dean Clifford needs to think about whether she's in the right profession. The Florida State's Attorney's office and the Ocala police need to get their heads on straight too.
Sheesh.
Cheers,
Scott.