Wed., February 24, 2010 2:25pm (EST)

Student Crime Under Charged in Macon

By Josephine Bennett

Updated: 3 years ago

MACON, Ga.  —   The Bibb County District Attorney's office says schools in Macon aren't being tough enough with students who commit crimes at school. An investigation by the D.A.'s office found campus police charged 29 students with misdemeanors when they should have been charged with felonies.

When kids commit a serious crime at school campus police are supposed to call a youth detention center to determine if that child needs to be locked up. Mike Smith is with the Bibb County D.A.'s office. He says many of the cases involve assaults on teachers, which are always a felony.

"I have teachers as victims quite a bit and I can guarantee you is a teacher is ever a victim then it's going to get a petition. Something's gonna happen."

Smith says 10-percent of the cases he reviewed were undercharged. He believes a lack of experienced officers might be the problem. Recently he conducted training classes with campus police to make sure they were clear on the law.