Chief judge 'dismayed' after sleeping teen on court field trip placed in handcuffs, jumpsuit

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The Chief Judge of 36th District Court William McConico is speaking out after one of the court’s judges ordered a teen visiting his courtroom into handcuffs and a jail jumpsuit.

"When I first saw it I was a little dismayed that’s not how business is conducted at 36th District Court," Judge McConico said.

Judge Kenneth King ordered the punishment after the female student went to sleep during the visit.

"I understood the judge had good intentions, but how it was executed, was not proper," he said.

According to published reports, the teen’s mother says her child was sleeping because she was tired since they lack permanent housing.

"Whether the young lady was homeless or whether she lives in a mansion, she should not have been treated that way at 36th District Court," McConico said.

The incident has since went viral and Judge King has been disciplined.

"Judge King is not doing a docket at 36th District Court right now," McConico said. "He will not have a docket until he is undergone sensitivity training, as well as some other training, dealing with the trauma and dealing with cultural competency."

The timeline for when he will back on duty is unclear.

"After he has completed at that training, and we’ve had some conversations and we’re clear on how we’re going to move forward - then he will be eligible to resume his docket," he said.

But the fallout from incident continues and Judge King is now receiving death threats.

"I did have a conversation with Judge King and he alerted me that there were some threats. Detroit Police Dept was contacted through our director of security, and we are taking all threats to be credible," McConico said. "We were able to get Judge King out of the building yesterday, and he is safe.

"Threats are never acceptable."

Related: Detroit judge orders teen to put on jail clothes, handcuffs during field trip

Wayne State University also reacting. That’s where Judge King has taught at the university’s Law School and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The university released a statement which reads in part:

"In light of the 36th District Court's temporary suspension of Judge Kenneth King, Wayne State University has reassigned two Fall 2024 courses to other instructors. As a contracted part-time faculty member, Judge King has never had an ongoing faculty appointment."

The 36th District Court is often referred to as the "People's Court" and the chief judge wants to keep it that way saying he regrets the teen had this experience.

"When I come back in town I would be willing to sit down with the family, and I would like to bring the young lady back to my court and to meet some other judges," McConico said. "We don’t want that to be her last memory of the judicial system or of 36th District Court."

As for the training Judge King is receiving, the court’s other judges will receive it also so an incident like this doesn’t happen again.

"We are going to schedule a mini-retreat," McConico said. "We’re going to have some people come in and speak to our judges. We’re looking to do that sometime in October."