Detroit judge who had teen handcuffed for sleeping in court is temporarily removed from the docket

DETROIT (WXYZ) — A Detroit judge who had a teenage girl handcuffed and put into a jail uniform for falling asleep during a field trip to his courtroom has been removed from the docket.

36th District Court Judge Kenneth King was temporarily removed from the docket, according to Chief Judge William McConico. There will also be an internal investigation.

The girl’s mother, Latoreya Hill, spoke with 7 News Detroit after learning of the disciplinary action.

“Don’t play with an upset mother,” Hill said. “Because you told my daughter don’t play with you in your courtroom, and, so, you can’t play with the citizens of Detroit and an upset mother.”

WATCH: Detroit judge scolds teen during court field trip, places her in jail uniform

Detroit judge scolds teen during court field trip, places her in jail uniform

On Tuesday, children part of a three-week program with the nonprofit The Greening of Detroit were taken to 36th District Court for a field trip. Other field trips in the program include kayaking and watching birds. However, this was an opportunity for students to watch a real trial play out and speak to a judge.

Before the defense and prosecution even entered the court, King addressed the students and answered their questions. He then noticed a the 15-year-old girl dozing off.

“You fall asleep in my courtroom one more time, I’m gonna put you in back understood,” the Judge addressed the girl in the courtroom.

McConico said that King will also undergo training to address underlying issues that contributed to this incident.

“We hope that these steps will help to reassure the public of the 36th District Court’s dedication to serving our community with integrity and fairness. The 36th District Court, known as “the people’s court,” remains deeply committed to providing access to justice in an environment free from intimidation or disrespect. The actions of Judge King on August 13th do not reflect this commitment,” McConico said in a statement.

WATCH: Mom of teen placed in handcuffs by Detroit judge on field trip breaks silence

Mom of teen placed in handcuffs by Detroit judge on field trip breaks silence

Judge King then says the teen gave him “attitude” for falling asleep.

“It wasn’t so much, in fact, that she had fallen asleep because I have attorneys that fall asleep sometimes, so that’s not too big of a deal. It was her whole attitude and her whole disposition that disturbed me,” King told 7 News Detroit. “I wanted to get through to her, show how serious this is and how you are to conduct yourself inside of a courtroom.”

On Wednesday, we spoke to Hill. She said she was horrified when she saw the video of her daughter, Eva Goodman, in handcuffs. Judge King says it was all to teach the teen a lesson about decorum and respect, but Hill says the judge doesn’t know the full story.

“Would you want someone to treat your child like that? Would you even treat your child like that,” Hill asked through tears.

Hill is a single mother of two and says Goodman, her eldest daughter, was signed up for a summer program with the Greening of Detroit nonprofit to keep Goodman busy. What was supposed to be an educational field trip to 36th District Court Tuesday, turned into a traumatizing moment for both her and her daughter.

Judge King, not liking the teen’s attitude and seeing her falling asleep, placed Goodman in handcuffs and a jail uniform.

“I think maybe she needs to go to the juvenile detention facility,” Judge King said in court. “Why are you being disrespectful to this court? You sleep in bed at your home, not at court.”

Hill says Goodman was falling asleep because the family does not have a permanent residence at the moment, and are just trying to make ends meet.

“To belittle her in front of the whole world and her friends, to make her feel even more worse about our situation,” Hill said through tears. “The fact that he was talking about ‘you go home and get in your bed’, how do you know my baby got a home, how do you know my baby got a bed, her own bed she could sleep in, she don’t have that right now, so she was tired,” Hill said through tears.

We spoke to Judge King Tuesday, who stood by his actions to discipline the child after showing him “attitude”.

“Do I have any reservations? Do I think I was heavy-handed in what I did? No, I don’t, because I’ll do whatever it needs to be done to reach these kids and make sure that they don’t end up in front of me,” Judge King said. “That was my own version of scared straight.”