Judge denies Ottawa boy’s self-defense claim for bringing knife to school. He will appeal

A 12-year-old boy who brought a pocket knife to his Ottawa middle school in self-defense against a bully after he endured physical attacks and racist bullying will appeal a Franklin County judge’s decision to rule against him in a criminal threat case.

Another hearing is scheduled for July 24, where the boy and his mother will present their case again. They argue that, because the boy dealt with escalating threats of bullying and racism and the school made no meaningful efforts to stop it, he felt the need to bring the 1.5 inch bladed butterfly knife to defend himself.

Judge Kevin Kimball said the boy’s actions were not protected as self-defense.

“This court does understand that bullying does exist and may have occurred between the respondent and the alleged victim or the victim and others as stated by the respondent in his testimony,” Kimball said. “The school should do their best to make sure that bullying does not occur, and if it does the school should act swiftly and investigate and provide a safe environment for all students.”

The Star has withheld the boy and his mother’s names for their safety.

A week before her son brought the knife to school, he alleged a bully knocked him to the ground and told him that if he returned, it would only get worse. His mother said he stayed home for days and cried and shook at the thought of going to school.

Eventually, they met with school officials, who said they would handle the situation. The boy needed to return to classes, they said, or his family could be charged with truancy.

The next day, the boy brought the knife to school and fidgeted with it in his sweatshirt pocket when he said it fell on the floor. He told two classmates who saw the knife that he planned to use it if the bully attacked him again.

One of the witnesses reported the knife to school officials. The boy’s mom visited the school later that day and found the knife in her son’s sweatshirt pocket. He was sent home and suspended for 10 days and later learned about the felony charge.

Since they moved to Ottawa in 2019, the mother said her son has repeatedly been the target of bullies, who she said called him the n-word and told him Black students didn’t belong at his school, she said. They reported the incidents to school officials, but said the bullying continued and worsened.

Judge Kimball adjudicated the boy on June 29 for criminal threat, a felony charge.

As his family prepares for an appellate hearing, they’ve also made plans to send the boy and his older sister to an tribal-affiliated Oklahoma boarding school hours from their home. The mother said her son is excited to attend a school with a more diverse student body.

The mother told The Star that school officials from the new school pulled her aside during the tour to tell her they knew about the history of bullying her son dealt with, and promised they wouldn’t tolerate that behavior.

“That was very reassuring,” she said.