9-year old boy accused of tossing
brick at principal
Friday, August 25, 2006
By
Lori Monsewicz
and Robert Wang REPOSITORY STAFF Writers
CANTON A 9-year-old boy who climbed
onto the roof of Schreiber School and hurled rocks and a brick at
his principal on the first day of school Thursday was arrested on
felony charges.
When his mother, Maria Muhleman,
arrived at the Woodland Avenue NW school, she found him being led
away in handcuffs by police.
“I was saying, ‘He’s autistic. You’re
going to take him in handcuffs. Come on,’ ” she said. “We’re talking
about a 9-year-old with developmental disabilities.”
Police said the boy is a
“special-needs student” who became agitated over something that
happened at the school at 1503 Woodland Ave. NW.
Muhleman said her son became upset
when some other children refused to play with him.
He climbed out of a second-floor
window onto the first-story roof of the renovated section of the
school at about 1:40 p.m., said police Lt. James Cole.
Police arrived to find Principal
Clifford Reynolds and firefighters on the roof trying to talk the
child back into the building. Cole said the boy did not intend to
jump.
“He was disorderly and agitated from
something that happened inside the school,” Cole said. Police did
not know what initially upset him.
While on the roof, the boy threw
rocks and a brick at the principal, Cole said.
Reynolds did not return calls from
The Repository.
Reynolds and the firefighters were
able to get the boy back into the building. They took him to
Reynolds’ office. Fire Capt. Charles Goldy said that the boy managed
to get the principal’s paddle and raised it in a threatening manner.
A police officer told him to put it down, and then the principal
grabbed the boy.
Cole said the boy then struck
Reynolds in the chest with his hand.
The principal was not seriously
injured and did not require medical treatment, police said.
The boy was charged with felonious
assault, assault on a school employee, inducing panic — both
felonies — and disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.
Muhleman said her son was finally
released to her custody at the Faircrest detention center of the
Multi-County Juvenile Attention System around 6 p.m. Other than some
redness on his wrists because of the handcuffs, he was fine, she
said.
Muhleman said that her son has been
diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise
Specified, which is part of a spectrum of disorders that includes
autism and Asperger’s syndrome, but doe s not meet all the
characteristics of either disorder.
She said her son has difficulty
communicating with people, especially nonverbally. When he can’t
express himself, he often reacts with frustration or confusion.
“It’s not because he’s out of
control. It’s because no one understands him. He’s fine with me. But
I can’t stay with him. I have to work.”
Muhleman said she’s tried to get her
son the treatment he needs. A therapist provided by a nonprofit
agency is working with him to develop his social skills and he gets
regular counseling, but her insurance won’t cover everything.
“I feel like crying. ... I feel
devastated,” she said. “I feel I’ve tried everything. ... what am I
missing? I can’t be at the school to make sure everything is going
well.”
Muhleman believes her son acted out
because he was hurt and confused when some other children wouldn’t
play with him.
“His social skills are lacking, and
he doesn’t know how to express himself. ... he doesn’t understand
why someone doesn’t want to play with him, he gets angry.”
Frustrated, she feels school
officials aren’t doing enough.
“The school never figures out what
the trigger is,” she said. “They’re not making an effort to
understand.”
Muhleman said she understands that
parents of other children may be apprehensive about her son, but
wants people to educate themselves about his condition.
Michelle Cordova, juvenile chief
assistant prosecuting attorney, said, “Obviously nobody wants to
bring a kid that young into the juvenile justice system, but
sometimes it’s necessary just to make sure that things like this
don’t happen again.”
“He’s grounded,” said Muhleman. “He’s
not going to be having a lot of fun for a little while.”
Reach Repository writer Lori
Monsewicz at (330) 580-8309 or e-mail:
lori.monsewicz@cantonrep.com
Reach Repository writer Robert Wang
at (330) 580-8327 or e-mail:
robert.wang@cantonrep.com
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