On Tuesday, a suburban Detroit judge released a 15-year-old teen girl who was arrested for not doing her homework, after an appeals court ordered her release.
Oakland Circuit Judge Mary Ellen Brennan embraced a case manager's suggestion that the case be ended and that the young lady, called "Grace" to respect her identity, keep getting mental health treatment at home.
The young lady was placed on probation in April for a situation including charges of attack and burglary and had been in Oakland County's Children's Village since May for disregarding that probation, as per ProPublica.
"This present court's objective to put her (in Children's Village) was to address delinquent conduct and improve life at home for her and her mom," Brennan said.
Among the prerequisites of her probation, Grace was relied upon to finish her homework. Grace, who has ADHD and gets specialized education services, battled with the progress of web-based learning and fell behind.
Brennan at first referred to a “failure to submit to any schoolwork and getting up for school” for her decision to place the teen in juvenile detention.
Yet, the appointed authority said at a July 20 hearing in Pontiac that Grace was put in the juvenile office since she was a danger to her mom and that police had been gotten out multiple times for encounters between the two.
A lawyer for Grace, Saima Khalil blamed Brennan for "insensitive lead" during the case.
“You have deprived my client access to mental health treatment that was available through her school ... and this court publicly lambasted the child during a court hearing.”
