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- Sep 1, 2008
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[h1]Broward first-grader robs classmate at knife-point[/h1][h2]Broward school officials said a first-grader faces expulsion after holding up a classmate and taking $1.[/h2]
[h2]Related Content[/h2] [h3]BY NIRVI SHAH AND DIANA MOSKOVITZ[/h3][h3]nshah@MiamiHerald.com[/h3]
The robber pulled a knife on his victim and made off with the booty: $1.
Wielding the weapon, authorities say: a first-grader.
Now, the boy has been suspended from Pines Lakes Elementary School and faces expulsion, said Broward school district spokeswoman Nadine Drew. And he couldbe charged with attempted robbery.
It's the latest in a spate of incidents at South Florida schools in recent weeks, including an 8-year-old bringing a gun to a Broward County school andthe shooting death of a Dillard High sophomore at the hands of a classmate.
''We've seen an uptick in the number of incidents. We don't know whether it's related to Dillard,'' said Broward schoolsspokesman Keith Bromery.
The Pines Lakes robbery took place last week, when the 7-year-old, who is not being named because of his age, approached a 6-year-old in the bathroom,threatened him with the knife and took his dollar, police said.
The 6-year-old was not hurt during the robbery.
The 7-year-old boy probably brought the knife from home, Bromery said. It was a stainless steel kitchen knife, the kind that goes with a place setting.
The victim's mother reported the incident to the school on Monday, when classes resumed after Thanksgiving break, and school administrators calledpolice.
The school sent a letter home to parents Tuesday to tell them about the incident.
''Please use this opportunity to talk to your children about the importance of behaving responsibly in school and elsewhere and of immediatelyreporting to a responsible adult any incident, situation or individual that causes them to feel threatened or uncomfortable,'' Principal PatriciaYackel wrote.
Parents said they think the school is safe.
''It's an unfortunate incident, but it has been handled, and it's an excellent, excellent school,'' said Kim Szczepaniak, a vicepresident on the school's PTA.
Since the shooting at Dillard, more Broward students and parents have been reporting concerns or suspicions to the district's ''SilenceHurts'' hot line: 754-321-0911.
''We are asking parents to be cognizant of what their children are bringing to school,'' Bromery said. ``Question your child or look intotheir backpacks or book bags.''
Pembroke Pines police are investigating the case and will send their findings to the state attorney's office for review before any possible charges arefiled.
''We're still investigating to make a final determination on what exactly happened,'' Deputy Chief Dave Golt said. ``When you'retalking to children of that age, there are always inconsistencies in the story.''
Defense lawyer John Contini said he has seen his clients get younger and younger over the years.
Bringing criminal charges against the 7-year-old may be difficult, said Contini, who is not representing the first-grader. Prosecutors would have to showthe child fully understood his actions.
One argument might be the young child thought it was just a game.
''Unless the prosecution can prove that this 7-year-old is legally competent then he cannot be prosecuted,'' Contini said. ``And that is atender age, at or about the threshold where they don't even allow some children that young to testify.''
While violent crimes by the young might be shocking, they could become more common in an era of violent video games and television shows many children playand watch unsupervised, said Trudy Block-Garfield, a Broward psychologist who evaluates defendants charged with crimes.
''When you combine that with a lack of guidance in the home, you have children who really have not been taught that these things are notappropriate,'' she said.
Robberies by young children are rare, said Kathleen Heide, a professor of criminology at the University of South Florida.
According to FBI statistics, she said in 2007, of the 96,720 arrests nationwide for robbery charges, only 72 were for children younger than 10.
''Where did the boy learn that behavior?'' Heide said.
``Did he observe it in his neighborhood? From older brothers? There's got to be a little bit more than that.''
[h2]Related Content[/h2] [h3]BY NIRVI SHAH AND DIANA MOSKOVITZ[/h3][h3]nshah@MiamiHerald.com[/h3]
The robber pulled a knife on his victim and made off with the booty: $1.
Wielding the weapon, authorities say: a first-grader.
Now, the boy has been suspended from Pines Lakes Elementary School and faces expulsion, said Broward school district spokeswoman Nadine Drew. And he couldbe charged with attempted robbery.
It's the latest in a spate of incidents at South Florida schools in recent weeks, including an 8-year-old bringing a gun to a Broward County school andthe shooting death of a Dillard High sophomore at the hands of a classmate.
''We've seen an uptick in the number of incidents. We don't know whether it's related to Dillard,'' said Broward schoolsspokesman Keith Bromery.
The Pines Lakes robbery took place last week, when the 7-year-old, who is not being named because of his age, approached a 6-year-old in the bathroom,threatened him with the knife and took his dollar, police said.
The 6-year-old was not hurt during the robbery.
The 7-year-old boy probably brought the knife from home, Bromery said. It was a stainless steel kitchen knife, the kind that goes with a place setting.
The victim's mother reported the incident to the school on Monday, when classes resumed after Thanksgiving break, and school administrators calledpolice.
The school sent a letter home to parents Tuesday to tell them about the incident.
''Please use this opportunity to talk to your children about the importance of behaving responsibly in school and elsewhere and of immediatelyreporting to a responsible adult any incident, situation or individual that causes them to feel threatened or uncomfortable,'' Principal PatriciaYackel wrote.
Parents said they think the school is safe.
''It's an unfortunate incident, but it has been handled, and it's an excellent, excellent school,'' said Kim Szczepaniak, a vicepresident on the school's PTA.
Since the shooting at Dillard, more Broward students and parents have been reporting concerns or suspicions to the district's ''SilenceHurts'' hot line: 754-321-0911.
''We are asking parents to be cognizant of what their children are bringing to school,'' Bromery said. ``Question your child or look intotheir backpacks or book bags.''
Pembroke Pines police are investigating the case and will send their findings to the state attorney's office for review before any possible charges arefiled.
''We're still investigating to make a final determination on what exactly happened,'' Deputy Chief Dave Golt said. ``When you'retalking to children of that age, there are always inconsistencies in the story.''
Defense lawyer John Contini said he has seen his clients get younger and younger over the years.
Bringing criminal charges against the 7-year-old may be difficult, said Contini, who is not representing the first-grader. Prosecutors would have to showthe child fully understood his actions.
One argument might be the young child thought it was just a game.
''Unless the prosecution can prove that this 7-year-old is legally competent then he cannot be prosecuted,'' Contini said. ``And that is atender age, at or about the threshold where they don't even allow some children that young to testify.''
While violent crimes by the young might be shocking, they could become more common in an era of violent video games and television shows many children playand watch unsupervised, said Trudy Block-Garfield, a Broward psychologist who evaluates defendants charged with crimes.
''When you combine that with a lack of guidance in the home, you have children who really have not been taught that these things are notappropriate,'' she said.
Robberies by young children are rare, said Kathleen Heide, a professor of criminology at the University of South Florida.
According to FBI statistics, she said in 2007, of the 96,720 arrests nationwide for robbery charges, only 72 were for children younger than 10.
''Where did the boy learn that behavior?'' Heide said.
``Did he observe it in his neighborhood? From older brothers? There's got to be a little bit more than that.''
