A 6-year-old boy is facing criminal charges after being arrested for allegedly kicking his principal.
The child is charged with battery. Police say he threatened to harm his principal and another staff member last Wednesday.
“In the big picture, I have to look at, you know, learning environment, have to look at school safety and have to look at student safety,” Hendricks Elementary School Principal Pat Lumbley said.
The Shelbyville Police Department’s report states that a young boy said the devil told him to do it.
“This was kind of a culmination of a lot of other things,” Lumbley added.
Police say this same student had recently come back to school after having been suspended for hitting and biting a teacher.
Following the most recent incident, the young boy was taken to the police department, where his parents picked him up. He was not handcuffed, but was charged with battery.
“By getting us involved — getting probation involved — unfortunately we’re the first step in that process, and you know, by the kid being charged with battery, now probation is able to be in the mix and, hopefully, get the kid the help he needs to combat these issues that he’s having that’s causing these outbreaks,” Shelbyville Police Lt. Michael Turner said.
Lumbley says calling authorities was a last resort.
“I didn’t get into elementary education because I want to see bad things happen to small children,” the principal said. “I love all the kids, and this student is a good student. (He’s) just having some difficulties.”
