DALLAS - A Dallas mother said she is furious after her daughter was dragged out of class and hauled away to truancy court.
The problem, Rebecca Gomez said, is that it was a case of mistaken identity.
"It was very scary," said Kalyn Scott. "I was very shocked. I mean, all my friends were looking at me wrong like I did something bad."
Scott said she is still trying to get over being removed from class and arrested at Molina High School Monday. The reason was a truancy warrant, which was served by Dallas County Deputy Constable Sophia Graham.
While the last name on the warrant was the same, the suspected student's first name was not Kalyn. Also, the warrant was issued for a male, not a female.
Gomez, Scott and an office worker tried to explain to the deputy that it was simply a case of mistaken identity.
"I don't understand why Deputy Graham didn't want to listen to me when I tried to explain it to her," Gomez said. "And also. when Mrs. Ramirez said, 'You're here for a boy.' She said it twice and she ignored it."
Then there was the ride downtown in the constable's patrol car.
Scott said she complained that the handcuffs were too tight and that she was being tossed around in the back area since she wasn't wearing a seat belt.
"Whenever she would hit the brake, I would fall forward and I would have to take my pinkie and stick them in the holes to keep myself from falling forward," she said.
An hour and a half later, the judge finally corrected the error and set Scott free. The deputy's boss, Constable Jaime Cortes, was quick to admit fault.
"My Deputy picked up the child in error," Cortes said. "She should have checked the information on the warrant. I apologize to the student and her family for that error and will do what ever it takes to make sure this does not happen again."
But, Cortes also pointed out that it was a Dallas Independent School District security officer who originally pulled the wrong student out of class, which was when the deputy made the arrest.
The family said many mistakes were made and they want assurances from all parties it will never happen again.
E-mail: bshipp@wfaa.com
