3 Teens Arrested,Shackled And Strip-Searched Outrages Parents

"They were stripped naked, forced to squat and cough"


 Parents of three Mississippi teenagers are demanding answers after the teens were strip searched for trespassing.
Cliff Johnson, the attorney for the three teens, said Wednesday that children who have never committed a crime should not have received such harsh treatment.
Johnson said a complaint from a neighbor prompted police to pick up the three 15-year-olds and take them to the Senatobia Police Station.
Thursday, the parents of 15-year-olds - Lakiya Burton of Senatobia, Laranda Wright of Southaven, and Kenvonta Mack of Senatobia - demanded that Tate County Youth Court Referee Leigh Ann Darby be fired after the teens were arrested on trespassing charges, strip-searched and jailed.
"The whole situation is terrible," said Lakiya Burton's father, Dexter. "These kids had to go off to a juvenile facility for three days for walking through someone's yard. It's humiliating and embarrassing to the parents and community."
On July 8, Senatobia police arrested the teens after a neighbor complained that the three had walked across her yard. Darby demanded the teens be given a drug test and ordered them to be transported to the Alcorn County Youth Detention Center in Corinth.
"They were stripped naked, forced to squat and cough" Johnson said.
While the Alcorn County Youth Detention Center said it is the policy of the facility to strip search all juveniles who enter the detention center regardless of what they are charged with, parents of the children are outraged.

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