A 15-year-old high school student has been arrested and charged with a hate crime after he threw cotton and whipped a Black student.
The ninth-grader at Vandebilt Catholic High in Houma, Lousiana was charged with simple battery and hate crime.
He was booked into the Terrebonne Parish juvenile detention center, Sheriff Tim Soignet stated.
The incident was captured on video and soon surfaced on social media.
On March 9 the white male student was recorded throwing cotton at a Black male student who is seated in the cafeteria. The white student also whipped the Black student with what appears to be a small belt.
“I’m very pleased that the school took a front stand on this,” Soignet said Wednesday. “When we received the complaint, we immediately put our detectives on it. They worked through the weekend so we could get to this point and effect an arrest on that juvenile. ”
Terrebonne Parish NAACP President Jerome Boykin applauded school officials and the police for their prompt response.
“Vandebilt Catholic High School’s administration and the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office sent a strong message to the community that this type of crime will not be tolerated,” Boykin said Wednesday. “The young man is only 15 years of age, and I hope that he can learn from his mistake.”
Vandebilt officials said they were also investigating the situation.
“School officials are working in cooperation with diocesan officials, students, and parents to investigate this matter and are committed to ensuring that all individuals involved are held accountable in accordance with school policies,” the school said.
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