Kenneth King, the Detroit judge who was suspended after he ordered a teen to be placed in handcuffs for sleeping in the courtroom and being attitudinal towards him, has said he’s now receiving death threats.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the 36th District Court said King had since been given extra security after he notified authorities about the threats. Detroit Police Department Sgt. Daron Zhou also said the cybercrimes unit has since launched an investigation into King’s report.
“Judge King reported receiving comments of a threatening nature, and was given additional security while in the building,” 36th District Chief Judge William McConico said in a statement last Thursday. “Threats of violence are never acceptable, and we take that matter seriously. We understand the community outcry as to the incident that occurred and are addressing internally.”
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King notifying authorities about the death threats comes days after he ordered a 15-year-old student to be placed in handcuffs for sleeping in the courtroom. The teen, identified as Eva Goodman, was also detained for about two hours and made to wear a jail uniform. King additionally threatened to have her jailed. His actions drew outrage, and he was subsequently removed from the docket on a temporary basis and made to undergo training.
The August 13 incident occurred while Goodman and other students went to the court during a field trip that was organized by a local non-profit. King is said to have spoken with the students during his hearings. But he later took issue with Goodman after he realized she was sleeping. The teen was later taken out of the courtroom.
King also had Goodman released, but that was after he asked the other students to raise their hands to establish if the 15-year-old should be jailed, the Detroit Free Press reported. In the wake of the incident, King, in an interview with the news outlet, justified his actions, claiming that he wanted to teach her a lesson.
“I wasn’t trying to punish the young lady,” he claimed at the time. “I wanted to instill in this kid that this is not a joke, this is a very serious situation.”
Goodman’s mother, however, said King’s actions left her daughter feeling scared and intimidated, adding that she probably dozed off because they do not have a permanent place to stay at the moment.
