Florida Police Officer Suspended After Arresting Two Children, Ages 6 and 8

A Florida police officer was suspended after he arrested two children in school last week.

This past Thursday, reserve school resource officer Dennis Turner arrested and charged two children at Lucious and Emma Nixon Academy, a K-5th-grade charter school in Orlando, Florida. The students are ages six and eight.

Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolón said in a statement that Turner did not have the approval of a commanding officer before making the arrests. “The Orlando Police Department has a policy that addresses the arrest of a minor and our initial finding shows the policy was not followed,” Rolón said. “As a grandparent of three children less than 11 years old, this is very concerning to me.” Turner was suspended while the department conducted an internal investigation. Rolón said.

NBC affiliate WFLA reported the 6-year-old was charged with battery after she kicked someone at the school. The girl’s grandmother, Meralyn Kirkland, said her behavioral issues are due to her sleep apnea disorder. Kirkland explained that the child was then transported to a juvenile detention center on Thursday, where she was going to be processed.

Just before the girl was processed through the system, the officer was stopped by a supervisor who found out about the incident. The girl was then returned back to school. The 8-year-old was arrested in a separate incident, according to NBC News. That child was processed and later released to a relative. There is no new information on the arrests or investigation. The school’s principal has yet to respond to requests for comment.