A Mississippi mother filed a $2 million lawsuit after her 10-year-old son was handcuffed and taken to jail by four police officers for urinating in public after he couldn’t find a public bathroom.
LaTonya Eason filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday after her third-grade son, Quantavious Eason, was arrested in August by the Senatobia Police Department.
After the boy’s arrest, Senatobia Police Chief Richard Chandler admitted to the crime and said there was an “error in judgment” in “transporting the child to the police station as the child’s mother was present.”
In a separate statement they said “the officer’s decisions violated their written policy and went against their prior training on how to deal with these situations,” and an unnamed officer was fired after the incident. WMC-Gray News reported.
Despite the police department’s apology, the mother seeks damages for excessive use of force, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Others named in the lawsuit include Senatobia Police Chief Richard Chandler, Lt. Zachary Jenkins and four other department officers.
Quantavious Eason, 10, was arrested in August by the Senatobia Police Department for urinating in public. He appears in the photo in the back of the police vehicle.
LaTonya Eason (right) pictured with her son Quantavious Eason, 10, and her attorney Carlos Moore (left)
Senatobia Police Chief Richard Chandler admitted to the crime and said there was an “error in judgment” in “transporting the child to the police station as the child’s mother was present.”
The police chief said that “mistakes like this are a reminder in this profession of the continued need for training.” Police said the boy was not handcuffed.
When the incident occurred, the boy’s mother was in a meeting at her attorneys’ office at the Tate County Courthouse. The boy relieved himself near her car.
According to LaTonya, one of the officers who saw her son urinating went to look for her.
LaTonya Eason said that when she found out, she reprimanded her son and thought the situation was over. But suddenly four more agents appeared at the scene.
His son was arrested, put in a police cruiser and taken to jail. They put him in a cell for about an hour, LaTonya said.
Once released, the judge ordered that the boy hto report to a probation officer once a month for three months.
The boy was also ordered to write a two-page report on the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant.
But the family’s attorney, Carlos Moore, refused to sign the probation agreement and planned to fight to have the case dismissed. He claimed the boy was being treated “like a criminal.”
He also argued that the two-page book report was “unfair and inappropriate” for a child of such a young age.
Moore further stated that “they have to pay this family for what they did.”
‘This boy is still emotionally traumatized. He is receiving counseling. His mother has been through a lot. So, we are here for justice.”
Eason’s attorney, Carlos Moore, has revealed that they reject the probation agreement and plan to fight to have the case dismissed.
Moore previously expressed surprise that prosecutors pursued the case and claimed the boy’s race influenced the judge’s decision.
The lawyer added that he was willing to request a trial to protect his client’s rights.
“He would not have been arrested, prosecuted or sentenced if he was any other color or race other than black,” Moore told NBC during an interview when the incident first occurred.
‘You will have no criminal record, this is probation. And he’s a Kobe Bryant fan, so he doesn’t mind writing the two-page report.
But still, the principle is that you shouldn’t have to do anything. He should enjoy his Christmas holidays like other children.
The third-grade boy’s mother said the officer came into the business looking for her to inform her of the incident, but told her he would let the boy leave with a warning.
On Dec. 12, a judge ordered that Eason must appear before a probation officer once a month for three months and write a two-page report on the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant.
She claims the unidentified police officer changed his mind when other officers arrived at the scene and an angry lieutenant demanded that he be taken to the station for leaving him unattended.
One Senatobia police officer was fired and another disciplined after the story broke.
Moore said the boy did what anyone would do, as there were signs saying there were no public bathrooms available.
LaTonya told NBC that her son is now afraid of the police after the ordeal.