Cameishi Lindley and her son, Bryce
Canton, MI — Cameishi Lindley, a mother from Michigan, says she was shocked and disappointed when she learned that her 10-year old son, Bryce, is facing assault charges for allegedly causing injuries to another student while they were playing a school game similar to dodgeball.
Lindley argued that the game was similar to dodgeball, except that the ball is thrown in the air.
“These kids are basically playing a game we all have played,” Lindley told 7 Action News.
In the incident that happened on April 29, while Bryce was playing at Ruth Eriksson Elementary in Canton, an unidentified student was hit in the face with a ball. The student’s mother claims her son is suffering a medical condition that makes head injuries especially dangerous.
A police report filed after the incident stated that Bryce intentionally threw the ball at the other student’s face, which caused him a concussion.
“He sustained facial tissue damage to his face. He had a black eye and a bruised nose,” the other parent said.
After the incident, Bryce was suspended from school for one day. Lindley thought his son already received proper punishment and it’s over.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Lindley said about the charge. “This is a kid that was playing on the playground with his friends.”
Meanwhile, the victim’s mother claimed that it wasn’t the first time his son experienced the same incidents at school. She said her son had been targeted before and she reported it mid-April before the recent incident, which she said she can’t let pass anymore.
“I tried not to let it get to this point,” the other boy’s mother said. “My son was hit twice in the face with a ball previously due to this. The child apologized to my son and my son said, ‘Mom, it’s OK, we’re still going to be friends.'”
Moreover, Lindley believes such incidents could have been solved at the school instead of the court. Lindley also said she and her son wasn’t aware of the other boy’s medical condition and added that he should not have been playing a game like that if that’s the case.
A pre-trial conference for the case is scheduled in Juvenile Court on August 1.
Lindley has set up a Facebook fundraiser to help pay for her son’s legal fees. It has so far raised double the $4,000 goal.