Florida Kindergartener Handcuffed; "I Feared for My Life" says Assistant Principal
Nicole Dibendetto did not know that her life would be in danger on March 14, 2005. It was an ordinary day at Fairmount Park Elementary School in St. Petersburg, FL, until one of her five year old students was brought in to her office for misbehaving.
"The minute she walked in with ponytails and a khaki jumpsuit I knew I was in for a challenge," states 270 pound Dibendetto. "She looked up at me and I felt intimidated right away."
Once the girl was in Dibendetto's office the trouble began. "She didn't want to sit down. She wouldn't listen to me." According to Dibendetto the girl began telling her 'no' and calling her names such as ugly and fat. "It took me right back to my childhood and I got fired up." The girl began taking papers off the wall and throwing them on the floor. "I thought 'if she can rip a piece of paper off the wall what else could she do?' I began to panic. That was when my I felt like I was in danger."
Then things concerned Dibendetto more. "She started saying 'I want my mommy'. So who does she call next, her fellow gang member?" Dibendetto said she noticed the little girl wearing a necklace and was alarmed. "It was gold. It looked like gang symbols." But then a fellow student identified it as a Powder Puff necklace. "Even though I was wrong I couldn't help but think she was going to become extremely violent."
Things took a turn for the worse when Dibendetto finally started screaming in the little girls face telling her to stop-a tactic she says usually works pretty well. "If they know who's boss then they'll obey us. But not this one." The little girl became aggressive and started hitting Dibendetto. "I felt like 'Oh My God' I'm going to die today. It's like when you see people talking about their near death experiences on Maury Povich. That was me. Or on Cops when you see African Americans mouth off to the authorities. That's when I knew what I had to do."
The girl's mother was called to come pick her up. "Her mother said she couldn't come right away because she was working second shift at a factory across town and if she left she would be fired. I mean, come on, have you no concern for your child?" Dibendetto expressed. It was then that she decided to call the police. Two officers arrived and handcuffed the child.
"I called the mother back and said 'ok well now your five year old is in jail, can you pick her up now?'"
The child was later released and is now in a different school. Dibendetto states, "I feel that justice has been served. And for the record, I'm not fat either. Just a little overweight according to my doctor."
"The minute she walked in with ponytails and a khaki jumpsuit I knew I was in for a challenge," states 270 pound Dibendetto. "She looked up at me and I felt intimidated right away."
Once the girl was in Dibendetto's office the trouble began. "She didn't want to sit down. She wouldn't listen to me." According to Dibendetto the girl began telling her 'no' and calling her names such as ugly and fat. "It took me right back to my childhood and I got fired up." The girl began taking papers off the wall and throwing them on the floor. "I thought 'if she can rip a piece of paper off the wall what else could she do?' I began to panic. That was when my I felt like I was in danger."
Then things concerned Dibendetto more. "She started saying 'I want my mommy'. So who does she call next, her fellow gang member?" Dibendetto said she noticed the little girl wearing a necklace and was alarmed. "It was gold. It looked like gang symbols." But then a fellow student identified it as a Powder Puff necklace. "Even though I was wrong I couldn't help but think she was going to become extremely violent."
Things took a turn for the worse when Dibendetto finally started screaming in the little girls face telling her to stop-a tactic she says usually works pretty well. "If they know who's boss then they'll obey us. But not this one." The little girl became aggressive and started hitting Dibendetto. "I felt like 'Oh My God' I'm going to die today. It's like when you see people talking about their near death experiences on Maury Povich. That was me. Or on Cops when you see African Americans mouth off to the authorities. That's when I knew what I had to do."
The girl's mother was called to come pick her up. "Her mother said she couldn't come right away because she was working second shift at a factory across town and if she left she would be fired. I mean, come on, have you no concern for your child?" Dibendetto expressed. It was then that she decided to call the police. Two officers arrived and handcuffed the child.
"I called the mother back and said 'ok well now your five year old is in jail, can you pick her up now?'"
The child was later released and is now in a different school. Dibendetto states, "I feel that justice has been served. And for the record, I'm not fat either. Just a little overweight according to my doctor."
Comments
Chicago culture outside the Loop - http://www.flowfeel.com