DETROIT (AP) 鈥� A Detroit judge who on a field trip to his courtroom will be off the bench while undergoing 鈥渘ecessary training,鈥� the court's chief judge said Thursday.
Meanwhile, the girl's mother said Judge Kenneth King was a 鈥渂ig bully.鈥�
鈥淢y daughter is hurt. She is feeling scared," Latoreya Till told the Detroit Free Press.
She identified her daughter as Eva Goodman. The 15-year-old fell asleep in King's court Tuesday while on a visit organized by a Detroit nonprofit.
King didn't like it. But he said it was her attitude that led to the jail clothes, handcuffs and stern words.
鈥淚 wanted this to look and feel very real to her, even though there鈥檚 probably no real chance of me putting her in jail," he explained to WXYZ-TV.
King has been temporarily removed from his criminal case docket and will undergo 鈥渘ecessary training to address the underlying issues that contributed to this incident,鈥� said William McConico, the chief judge at 36th District Court.
The court 鈥渞emains deeply committed to providing access to justice in an environment free from intimidation or disrespect. The actions of Judge King on August 13th do not reflect this commitment,鈥� McConico said.
He said the State Court Administrative Office approved the step. King will continue to be paid. Details about the training, and how long it would last, were not disclosed.
King, who has been a judge since 2006, didn't immediately return a phone message seeking comment. His work includes determining whether there's enough evidence to send felony cases to trial across the street at Wayne County Circuit Court.
Till said her daughter was sleepy during the court visit because the family doesn't have a permanent residence.
鈥淎nd so, that particular night, we got in kind of late,鈥� she told the Free Press, referring to Monday night. "And usually, when she goes to work, she鈥檚 up and planting trees or being active.鈥�
The teen was seeing King鈥檚 court as part of a visit organized by The Greening of Detroit, an environmental group.
鈥淎lthough the judge was trying to teach a lesson of respect, his methods were unacceptable,鈥� said Marissa Ebersole Wood, the group's chairperson. 鈥淭he group of students should have been simply asked to leave the courtroom if he thought they were disrespectful.鈥�
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Ed White, The Associated Press
