San Diego judge put innocent 13-year-old girl in handcuffs as she sobbed to scare her straight
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A federal judge in San Diego is under investigation after handcuffing a 13-year-old girl and placing her on the jury box in an attempt to scare her.
Roger Benítez, 72, in February put defendant Mario Puente’s 36-year-old daughter in restraints after her father expressed concern that she could meet the same fate.
According to court documents, Benítez called a federal marshal and ordered the 13-year-old girl to be handcuffed and placed on the jury box as she wept.
Benítez asked the young woman if she liked “sitting up there” and said she was a “terribly cute young lady” who could “end up in handcuffs” if she doesn’t avoid drugs.
On Wednesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom responded to the judge’s actions, saying that as the father of a 13-year-old boy, the story makes him “sick.”
Judge Roger Benítez, 72, in February immobilized the daughter of a defendant after her father expressed concern that his daughter could be heading towards the same future as him.
On Wednesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom responded to the judge’s actions, saying that as the father of a 13-year-old boy, the story makes him “sick.”
This is Gavin Newsom’s tweet about the story of Benítez handcuffing an innocent 13-year-old girl in a San Diego courthouse.
According to court records, the incident occurred during a supervised release revocation hearing in February.
The 13-year-old was in the courtroom to support her father when she told the judge she hoped to “leave San Diego to separate herself from her negative peers and start anew.” Everywhere I look, I know someone.
Puente told the judge that he believed the only way he could take the straight and narrow path was to leave behind the life he currently knows, and asked that he be granted permission to leave the area.
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