Boy, 12, released to mom after attack at Wayne County juvenile jail
A 12-year-old boy who was allegedly sexually assaulted by other youths at the Wayne County juvenile jail was released to his mom late Thursday.
The Wayne County Circuit Court approved the boy's release, said county spokeswoman Tiffani Jackson. She called such violence at the facility "extremely rare."
In a brief interview on Thursday night, the boy's mom told the Free Press that she had just picked up her son from the William Dickerson Detention Facility in Hamtramck and that he was recovering from his physical injuries.
"His wrist is swollen. He has a patch over his eye and I know the other stuff is mental," said the woman, who the Free Press is not naming to protect the identity of her son. "I know he don't really want to talk about it right now. ... I don't know how far or how severe the damage is."
It's not clear what charges the boy faced that resulted in him being housed at the jail. State law restricts public access to juvenile court records.
A county employee told the Free Press for an earlier report that three youths are accused of assaulting him. The employee was not authorized to speak to the news media and requested anonymity.
Jackson would not provide further details other than to say the incident early Wednesday morning involved a possible physical and sexual assault of a youth, citing the ongoing investigation by the Michigan State Police.
Seven juvenile jail employees have been suspended in connection with the incident. The state has launched two investigations, officials said.
More:In heated letters to Whitmer, Wayne County blames state 'failure' for juvenile jail crisis
The possible sexual assault comes amid an overcrowding and understaffing crisis that officials have warned has reached emergency levels. Juveniles have been confined to rooms for long periods of time and were denied daily showers, recreation, medication and schooling, an ongoing Free Press investigation has found.
The boy's mom said she received numbers for therapists from her son's probation officer and plans to get her son help.
"It is relief that he is up out of there," she said. "I thought they would have helped him. And now I have to worry about, like wow, he went there for help and he come out probably even worse. I don't know yet."
More:Problems we found at the Wayne County juvenile jail
Contact Christine MacDonald: cmacdonald@freepress.com or 313-418-2149. Follow her on Twitter: @cmacfreep. Contact Gina Kaufman: gkaufman@freepress.com or 313-223-4526. Follow her on Twitter: @ReporterGina.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Boy, 12, released to mom after attack at Wayne County juvenile jail
