A Virginia middle schooler was handcuffed, arrested and charged with larceny after he took a 65 cent milk carton from the school cafeteria line. The middle school student is on the free lunch program at Graham Middle School in Triangle, Virginia, and receives a meal, including a carton of milk, free each day. However, the student reportedly forgot to grab his milk when he went through the line the first time; therefore, the student says he returned to the line and grabbed a box of milk. When the student took the carton, he was accused by a school resource officer of stealing the milk. The teen was then handcuffed, arrested, and charged with larceny for taking the single box of milk that he claims he simply forgot the first time through the line. Now his mother wants answers as to why her son is now facing the possibility of having a juvenile record for taking a 65-cent box of milk.
The Daily Mail reports that student Ryan Turk was arrested for larceny and handcuffed at school for allegedly stealing a box of milk. However, Turk’s mother says the whole thing was a misunderstanding, as Ryan was simply returning to the line to retrieve the box of milk he forgot to grab on his first pass through the lunch line. Ryan is on the school’s free lunch program; therefore, the student’s lunches are subsidized, and he does not pay daily for lunches. The student does not have a lunch tab as his meals are provided free of charge.
When Ryan went through the school line to grab a box of milk that he reportedly forgot the first time, he never thought he would be arrested for theft. The school resource officer believed the student was stealing milk and confronted him. The officer says the student then became disorderly, so he was forced to handcuff him. Ryan was then taken to the school principal, where he was searched for drugs and suspended. He was ultimately charged with larceny following the milk theft accusations.
#RyanTurk did not steal the milk nor should it warrant him being handcuffed over the matter. #BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/khg5uKmTk5
— Justin Gibson (@JGibsonDem) May 24, 2016
Ryan’s mother says that her son admits that he told the resource officer to “get off” during the altercation but says that the disorderly conduct was the result of her son being nervous and “fidgety” from the accusations. The mother now wants answers as to why her son is facing juvenile charges over the box of milk but has yet to receive any.
“This is ridiculous, this is beyond embarrassing. He’s at home for 65 cents. They are charging him with larceny, which I don’t have no understanding as to why he is being charged with larceny when he was entitled to that milk from the beginning.”
She says police indicated that the charges are the result of Ryan trying to “hide” the milk when confronted, but she adamantly denies those claims, saying her son never tried to hide the carton of milk.
According to WTVR, the school has responded to the claims made by Ryan and his mother noting that the student was suspended for stealing the milk, being disrespectful, and for using a cell phone at school. The school also noted that there is an appeals process in place that Ryan’s mother can utilize to ensure fairness.
How can you steal free milk and be prosecuted for it??!!
— neptunez (@oldoceans) May 24, 2016
“The need for disciplinary action is determined by how a student behaves throughout any given incident,” the school spokesperson said. “An appeals process is in place to ensure the fairness of any disciplinary action.”
What do you think about the middle schooler being suspended, arrested, and charged with larceny for taking the milk carton?
[Featured Image by Friedemann Vogel/Getty Images]
