PALATKA, Fla. – A Palatka High School student was arrested after bringing a Taser to school Thursday, authorities said.
According to the police report, 18-year-old Capresha King brought the device to school for protection against people who threatened to harm her.
She was taken to jail after her physical education teacher heard the stun gun go off from across the gym, police said.
The teen’s parents told News4Jax they’re fed up with their child experiencing bullying at the school.
Her parents said King is a straight-A student and they’ve gone to the school about the issues, but nothing has been done. They said they do feel King should have been punished, but said the school should have done more before it got this far.
“She's a good student. She's never been in no trouble,” said Keiwanna Belton, King’s stepmother.
Belton described King as an honor roll student with a 4.3 GPA and a quiet senior with a dream to go to college. But the stepmother said King’s decision may cost her several college scholarships.
“No, we didn't even know she had it,” Belton said. “She's not the type of student. Anyone who knows Capresha, she's not the type of person.”
Belton said that King told her the bullying began in March when students began associating King with the death of another Palatka High School student.
Many of the threats are vulgar, but Belton read News4Jax one of threats King received.
“’If Cleveland shot himself, then why the **** did police not find the gun? Y’all b****** did it and I want your head.’ I mean that’s a threat. That’s a straight threat,” Belton said.
Gil Smith, News4Jax crime and safety analyst, was once a school resource officer. He said this incident should be an example to parents to keep communication open with their children.
“If they're having problems, if they're in the classroom with the teacher or an administrator or with another student, they need to be talking with their kids constantly to find out what's going on with them because so often this goes under the radar. Kids don't tell their parents and feel they can deal with this on their own,” Smith said.
Belton said she and her husband went to the school multiple times about the bullying, but no action was taken, until their child felt it was necessary to take action herself.
News4Jax spoke with officials at Palatka High School and the Putnam County Superintendent’s Office, who said they were aware of the incident. They also said that bullying is not tolerated in the district and bullying should always be reported.